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Martin O’Halloran, chief executive of the Health and Safety Authority told RTÉ’s This Week on Sunday that an additional 50 inspectors were needed to ensure farm safety.
In an emotional report, the father of John Kennedy recounted the death of his son involving a quad bike accident, on their dairy farm in Co. Wexford and asked all farmers to become more aware of farm safety.
Inspections are one part of the farm safety issue
“I’d appeal to young people, middle aged people, it doesn’t matter what people, it should never have to happen...’’
Farming remains the most dangerous occupation in Ireland with an average of 13 deaths per 1,000 workers on farms, compared to 2.5 deaths per 1,000 workers in other industries.
To date 18 people have died on Irish farms in 2017, with 10 of these deaths related to accidents involving farm machinery.
New recruits
In response to Martin O’Halloran’s calls for more inspectors, Minister Pat Breen, who is responsible for workplace safety announced that 11 additional inspectors were currently being recruited. He also stated that it wasn’t just more inspectors that were needed to improve farm safety but a change in attitude among farmers.
‘’Inspections are one part of the farm safety issue out there the other issue is ensuring behaviour change on a family farm.’
Minister Breen also highlighted the launch of the new ‘Farm Safety Code Practice’ and the popularity of the live demonstations on farm safety carried out by the HSA at the National Ploughing Championships this year.
However, Professor James Phelan, chair of the Farm Safety Partnership, said that he believed more money needed to be spent in terms of trying to improve farm safety in Ireland.
Sinn Féin MEP Matt Carthy, also proposed that Ireland should follow the example of Denmark and Sweden, where a well-funded five-year programme, managed to reduce farm fatalities completely. He believes that a farm safety scheme should become part of the Common Agricultural Policy’s, pillar II funding.
The most common types of farm accidents and fatalities involve machinery, livestock and slurry. As the deadline to spread slurry approaches in the middle of October it is vital that farmers remain mindful of the risks involved in farming.
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