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FARMERS ARE unhappy with the courts slapping hefty fines for riding ATVs without helmets.
Federated Farmers health and safety spokesperson, Katie Milne says the heavy-handed approach by authorities runs the risk of alienating farmers who will see the fines as excessive.
She made the comments after the Blenheim District Court fined a farming couple $20,000 each for riding ATVs without wearing helmets.
Milne says such rulings will make it so much harder to get the right health and safety messages across if the primary sector is sceptical as to what is occurring, she says.
"No one wants to see serious accidents and deaths. We need good information and evidence in the public domain that not only drives the identification of major health and safety risks, but subsequently the priorities, education and persuasion to change behaviour.
"There needs to be a real focus on good outcomes."
Phillip Andrew Jones and Maria Anna Carlson, of Canvastown near Blenheim, were fined $20,000 each by Judge Tony Zohrab.
WorkSafe NZ says the couple were caught riding quads without helmets and in some cases Carlson had small children with her on the quad.
Carlson was witnessed twice riding her quad without a helmet after a prohibition notice had been issued and the second time she had two young children with her on the bike.
Both were charged under the Health and Safety in Employment Act – Jones with failing to take all practicable steps to ensure no other person was harmed at work while riding a quad bike and Carlson with failing to take all practicable steps to ensure her own safety by wearing a helmet, and the safety of others by not carrying her children on a quad bike.
"WorkSafe warned the couple, then issued a prohibition notice which was ignored," says Francois Barton, WorkSafe New Zealand's manager of national programmes.
Milne says Federated Farmers has recently been working closely with WorkSafe New Zealand to improve farm safety.
"WorkSafe have been saying to us that they want to avoid heavy handed actions and put a high value on education and persuasion. We will be talking to them about how this is done more effectively."
"Farmers can improve their safety performance. And we will not be fooling ourselves into thinking that only other people have accidents or that there is no inherent risk in farm environments or work."
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