Rural workplaces in New South Wales can now apply for a State Government rebate of up to $500 to implement safety measures aimed at reducing quad bike tragedies and injuries on farms.

Speaking at this week’s NSW Farmers Conference in Sydney, NSW Minister for Primary Industries Niall Blair said quad bikes had become a leading cause of death on Australian properties, with 220 deaths in the past 16 years and thousands more people seriously injured.

A $2 million Quad Bike Safety Improvement Program will encourage and support land managers to adopt a range of harm prevention strategies to protect their workers, family members and themselves.

The $500 rebate can go towards the purchase of compliant helmets, Operator Protector Devices including rollover bars, the purchase of a safer vehicle such as a side-by-side vehicle, and training courses tailored to farmers.

Minister for Innovation and Better Regulation Victor Dominello said there are around 200,000 quad bikes in operation across Australia in both a commercial and recreational capacity.

Mr Blair said a new MoU between SafeWork NSW and Local Land Services will promote the safer use of quad bikes in rural workplaces.

“Local Land Services is on the ground working hand-in-hand with landholders and they are best placed to help deliver strong safety messages to stop the tragedies when it comes to the use of quadbikes on the land,” Mr Blair said.

Tocal College has also been awarded the contract to deliver 100 quad bike-training courses across NSW as part of the SafeWork NSW Quad Bike Safety Improvement Program.

The rebate will be available until 30 June 2017.

Further information is available at www.safework.nsw.gov.au