Agricultural Bikes
Agricultural bikes are any motorbikes with two, three or four wheels used for farm work. Three and four wheelers are also known as "all terrain vehicles" or ATVs.
Most agricultural bike injuries result from lack of training and experience, speed, uneven or unfamiliar ground, carrying a passenger or an unbalanced load, unsuitable protective clothing and unsafe driving.
 | | Your employer or supervisor must make sure you are properly trained to drive and agricultural bike and you must drive safely and follow safe work procedures. |
Ways to reduce the risk
Your employer should have safe working procedures in place to make sure you:
wear a helmet;
wear eye protection to prevents serious eye injuries from bugs, branches or stones;
always check your bike before riding it;
take extra care when using attachments such as spray tanks and other equipment as they can change the ATV's centre of gravity and reduce stability;
use familiar tracks where possible and take extra care when driving on unknown or rough ground;
don't drive ATVs on paved or bitumen surfaces as they are not intended for use on smooth surfaces and may be difficult to control.
An example of the dangers of riding agricultural bikes or ATV's is shown in the case study Farmer Injured in ATV Accident.
