Roll Over Protective Structures (ROPS) are a standard safety design feature on many items of agricultural equipment from tractors to quad bikes. But ROPS do not prevent a rollover, only minimise the risk of injury from a rollover. The Workplace Health and Safety Queensland has issued a safety alert over a tractor ROPS that failed. The background … Continue reading “In ROPS we trust”
There is a lot of silence on the quadbike safety front. An Australian industry code of practice seems overdue, the findings of a New Zealand inquiry into farm safety are yet to be finalised and released…… But the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics (ABARE) has today announced its first survey into farm safety … Continue reading “Reputable Australian government body announces first farm safety survey”
The issue of quad-bike safety continues to be controversial in Australia. This debate is not helped by inconsistent safety messages on television. Many of the news bulletins in Australia on 2 March 2010 showed the Leader of the Opposition, Tony Abbott, riding, seemingly for the first time, a quad bike on his trip to central … Continue reading “Aussie politician risks head injury in photo op”
The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) has come in for a lot of “stick” over the last few years by seemingly over-reacting to OHS hazards. In many cases, these reports have come from a misinterpretation of OHS rules and guidelines or a misunderstanding of the basic principles of safety. In some cases it is simply … Continue reading “Getting safety promotion right”
The New Zealand Department of Labour (DoL) has announced a period of public consultation on its OHS guidance on the safe use of off-road vehicles. The process will include a review of “Safe Use of ATVs on New Zealand Farms: Agricultural Guideline” publication. Interestingly the DoL says it “is looking to extend this publication to … Continue reading “NZ announces inquiry into the safety of farm vehicles”
In early October 2009, Workplace Health and Safety in Queensland (WHSQ) released a raft of media statements about recent court cases involving OHS prosecutions. WHSQ seems to do this regularly rather than releasing each statement individual. Below is a quick cut and paste from the media reports: Brown Engineering & Construction Pty Ltd has been fined $38,000 after a worker … Continue reading “Recent Queensland OHS prosecutions”
A recent media statement from the New Zealand Department of Labour on all-terrain vehicle (ATV) safety is annoying and disappointing. On 15 September 2009, the Palmerston North District Court today fined farmer Trevor Mark Schroder $25,000 and ordered him to pay reparation of $20,000 to his employee John Haar over an ATV accident on 26 November 2008 that left … Continue reading “When ATV helmets are “best practice””