Views split on quad bike safety

Following a high-profile local case last week and an increasing number of quad bike accidents there have been calls for mandatory rollover protection systems to be introduced, but Federated Farmers' Jeanette Maxwell is adamant that is not the answer.

She said rollover protection could cause injuries and even death in some instances and she was not in favour of a one-size-fits-all philosophy as varying terrains, tasks and quads required a different approach to health and safety.

Last week, Craggy Range vineyard in Martinborough was fined $36,000 and ordered to pay $6500 reparation for a breach of the Health and Safety in Employment Act after a contract worker fractured his arm when he was thrown off the back of a quad bike and was run over by an attached trailer in May 2012.

In recent days Northland farmer Merv Rusk, who previously campaigned for tractor safety, said suppliers of new quad bikes should be required to sell machines with approved rollover protection.

Ms Maxwell said her organisation was not in favour of such a blanket proposal as rollover protection could actually be dangerous in some instances.

"No [I'm not in favour] because life-saving rollover protection has in some cases led to significant injuries by crushing and even death," she said.

"At Federated Farmers we don't advocate for rollover protection.

"We urge farmers to ensure they are using a suitable quad bike, that they have the right bike for the job being done and they are taking all reasonable and practical steps to protect themselves."

A number of quad bike accidents have occurred in Wairarapa during the past six months. In total, 29 people died nationwide in work-related quad bike crashes between 2006 and 2012.

Last October, Shane White, 10, was killed in a quad bike crash in South Wairarapa. A month later, a woman, 24, was left with ankle injuries after her quad bike flipped on a Pirinoa farm. And in December, Tinui farmer Ian Perry was flown to Wellington Hospital after he rolled his quad bike on a hill.

The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) have said they believed more research was required to show that rollover protection was effective.

Ona De Rooy, general manager health and safety operations, said the MBIE had taken action to reduce the number of quad bike injuries and deaths in New Zealand.

She said the Quad Bike Safety Project launched in 2010 was now in its second year of enforcement, and health and safety inspectors were visiting farms nationwide to check compliance with the Quad Bike Safety Guidelines and the Health and Safety in Employment Act.

"Most accidents and injuries are caused by rollover events due to uneven or dangerous terrain, unbalanced load or towing, rider inattention, or the quad bike being used beyond its limits."

Ms De Rooy said since the quad bike safety campaign was launched there had been some positive signs and a recent MBIE survey showed 16 per cent more farmers reported some or all riders were wearing helmets than in 2010.