The Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC), alongside Worksafe, has come under fire for its new workplace prevention injury scheme.
Last week, WorkSafe recommended that quad bikes used for work be fitted with crush protection devices (CPDs). Then ACC introduced a CPD subsidy for eligible small business owners in rural areas.
Now, Motor Industry Association (MIA) chief executive David Crawford has said this is most concerning, claiming the agencies are experimenting with farmers’ lives in their call for “untested” CPDs to be fitted on ATVs.
“On the contrary, research from Australia reveals that the chances of a serious accident resulting in hospitalisation is more likely to occur if a CPD is fitted to a quad bike,” he said.
Crawford noted officials need to take time to analyse the data before rushing to draft “ill-informed policies.”
“We do not advise the retro-fitting of CPDs on quads that are not designed for them by the manufacturers,” he said. “This is not safe practice.
“The MIA is a safety-first organisation and for some time we’ve been asking the government to regulate and promote a number of simple evidence-based safety measures.”
Crawford said the MIA wants to see the mandatory wearing of helmets, children prevented from riding adult size ATVs, no passengers on single-seat quads, and improvements and more opportunities around rider training.
Meanwhile, in a report with Newshub, Quadbar Industries owner Stuart Davidson stated the move by ACC and Worksafe sent a positive message to farmers.
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“I think it means to them that ACC is taking notice of them,” Davidson told the publication.
Quadbar Industries is one of the two Worksafe recommended manufacturers of the CPDs.
