Ann Doherty, a farmer from Co Kilkenny, has told students how she was the victim of a bull attack in 2010 that changed her life.
She suffered a broken sternum, three cracked ribs and a fractured thumb in the incident.
Doherty addressed students at Kildalton Agricultural College on Monday, as part of a ‘Champions of Safety’ seminar.
Nervous
“My head was very upset," said the farmer. “Even to cross the road, I was nervous.”
She attended a counsellor to help with the experience, but also suffered severe and continuing pain in her back, pelvis, coccyx bone and neck. In 2015, she ruptured a number of disks in her back and developed fibromyalgia as a result of her injuries.
The seminar was brought to 129 green cert agriculture students in Kildalton College in advance of commencing their first period of farm placement on 14 October.
Contributions from FBD Insurance plc's Ciaran Roche, the HSA's David Barry and the ESB's Arthur Byrne also demonstrated the fallout from farm accidents and the long-lasting effects that they can have on a farming family.
The theme of the seminar was ‘It’s not an accident that accidents happen’ and Teagasc farm safety specialist John McNamara stressed the importance of vigilance for students throughout their work placement period.
He also stressed that continuing adoption of safe work behaviour, in addition to continuing removal of farm hazards, is the key to minimising farm accident risk.
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