Sheep and beef farmer Ian Matthews says he was fortunate to walk away uninjured after his quad bike rolled – today, he and wife Sandra have a crush protection device (CPD) fitted.

Farm vehicles, particularly bikes and tractors, handling stock and fatigue are all among risks Ian and  Sandra have identified and put measures in place to manage on their 536 Ha (500 effective) property near Gisborne.  

“It was some years ago,” says Ian. “I was driving down a steep place I shouldn’t have gone and I rolled. I wasn’t injured but I was very lucky not to be.

“Sandra is our health and safety manager and a very strong advocate for safe working practices. She was very keen to get roll over protection for our farm bike and we’re pleased it is now in place.

“We had one on a bike many years ago and researched bike manufacturer articles and they were not overly keen on them. We talked it over each time we upgraded our bike and each time we were discouraged.  We had discussions, read literature and recently decided we would install one – better to be safe than sorry if there was an accident.”

Wearing helmets on farm bikes and using seatbelts in vehicles, where they are fitted, are hard and fast rules on the farm, says Ian.