(Updated 19/05/23)
This is something I really don’t understand. It costs less than £50 to buy a helmet, it is a legal requirement at work and if you don’t wear an ATV helmet you are likely to suffer a serious head injury, or worse, if you come off your quad bike.
Yet this still seems to be misunderstood and is regularly flouted across the agricultural industry. Why is hard to fathom? Helmets are relatively inexpensive, and people’s heads are not robust if they are flung against a hard surface. Why would anyone choose to ride, or deliberately send an employee or family member out on a job with a sit-astride ATV, with no helmet, knowing there is a real and proven risk of loss of life, which could easily be reduced by the use of such a simple item? Yet this happens every day across our industry and is seen as normal or accepted. Just look what happened to Beca featured in the latest HSE safety in agriculture campaign ‘Your farm, your future’.
In the last five years, ATVs were involved in 15 deaths in agriculture – the most significant cause of deaths involving moving vehicles in our industry. That’s fifteen families destroyed. Many, many other serious and life-changing incidents are happening all the time. Yet there is still resistance to wearing a helmet: “It won’t happen to me” / “I only go around the farm on my quad” / “Helmets are uncomfortable”. The list goes on. None of these reasons can possibly be valid if you come off a quad and your head impacts the ground, or the bike ends up on top of you.
So how about the risk of prosecution if you or a worker is found not to be wearing a helmet at work on the farm? If there is an incident and someone was not wearing a helmet, this will almost certainly be central to any investigation and could result in enforcement action and possible prosecution. Similarly, if an inspector sees someone working without a helmet, they will stop the activity and start asking serious questions.
Wearing a helmet applies to the farmer, self-employed workers, employees and any other person using the farm quad. Everyone’s life is important. This includes children or farm visitors. Note too, that most farm quads are only suitable for people aged 16 and over – check with the manufacturer.
It is illegal for any ATV to be driven for a farming activity by children under the age of 13.
Of course, simply wearing a helmet will not keep everyone fully protected and it is vitally important to ensure that anyone riding an ATV is competent and trained to handle the machine. Training is crucial because it covers essential active riding techniques necessary for the safe operation of the ATV.
So, rant over. I just want everyone in our industry to maximize their chances of going home safely every night. Please support our new #WearItandShareIt campaign on social media to help raise awareness and SAVE LIVES. Go on! Put it on, keep putting it on, and send us the proof!
