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Colorado Worker Safety ATVs

June 11th, 2007 Posted by Amelia

Most people assume that ATVs are safe and stable vehicles, but a recent Colorado worker safety alert sheds light on the dangers that these vehicles can pose if not used correctly. Focusing on the alarming rise in serious and fatal accidents involving ATVs in the workplace, the warning addresses reasons why people don’t take the danger of these vehicles seriously. It also offers guidelines by which employers can improve the safety of their operations while using ATVs.

One large problem is that both employers and employees assume that just because someone is licensed to drive a car that they are qualified to operate an ATV in the workplace. The problem with this line of thought is that ATVs are drastically different from cars or other vehicles, and these differences can lead to accidents if the operator isn’t aware of them.

ATVs feature low-pressure tires, a different chassis and suspension system, and simply don’t have the bulk of larger vehicles which helps to keep cars and similar vehicles stable. If overloaded or taken on highly uneven terrain, ATVs can experience weight shifts which will cause the vehicle to tip over and take the rider with it.

Another problem is that because ATVs are usually associated with more recreational uses, many employers don’t see them as “serious” vehicles and tend to let the “cute” and “fun” aspects of the ATVs image skew their perception of exactly how dangerous an ATV can be. Often employees who use ATVs in the workplace will receive little or no instruction on how the small vehicle operates, and will begin using it without any knowledge of how it handles or the limitations that it faces. To make matters worse, they will often use the vehicles without helmets or other safety equipment… explaining the increasing number of fatal accidents that involve ATVs in the workplace.