When asked what his advice would be for Farm Safety Week, chair of the IFA poultry committee, Nigel Renaghan, instantly recalls an incident that changed how he viewed farm safety and prompted him to make big changes on his farm. Nigel had an open a lagoon slurry tank on top of which a layer of grass had grown. One day his six-year-old son was kicking a football around the yard and landed the ball on top of the tank. When the young boy went to retrieve the ball, thankfully Nigel was nearby to stop him, but he says he will never forget the fear he felt.
When asked what his advice would be for Farm Safety Week, chair of the IFA poultry committee, Nigel Renaghan, instantly recalls an incident that changed how he viewed farm safety and prompted him to make big changes on his farm.
Nigel had an open a lagoon slurry tank on top of which a layer of grass had grown. One day his six-year-old son was kicking a football around the yard and landed the ball on top of the tank. When the young boy went to retrieve the ball, thankfully Nigel was nearby to stop him, but he says he will never forget the fear he felt.
“I saw him going to climb over the wire to get the ball. Apart from nearly having a heart attack, we blew out the tank and filled it up with stones. People said to me: ‘Are you mad?’ I said: ‘I can replace a tank, but I can’t replace a child.’”
Even though he had grown up spreading his own slurry, Nigel now gets a contractor in and says it is more than worth spending extra money if it keeps his children safe. Open tanks should be banned, Nigel believes. He makes no qualms about it; everything possible should be done to keep children safe on farms.
Lifestyle change
Maura Canning, chair of the IFA farm family and social affairs committee, says one thing in particular that has improved safety on her farm is continually keeping the risk assessment updated. It is one of the best ways to prevent accidents, she believes.
The most important thing to take away from Farm Safety Week, Maura outlines, is that farm safety should be worked into daily life and thought of everyday on every farm, not just for a week each year.
“Farm safety is a lifestyle, not a slogan. It is not about going to meetings, then going home and forgetting about it – it is about changing your everyday behaviour. ”
Rushing jobs, she says, is a massive issue in relation to the safety of farmers and a lot of accidents are caused by forgetting to do small things such as pulling up the handbreak on a tractor or leaving a gate open.
“Definitely take the time each morning to think about what you are going to do that day. Take the time to think about each job before you do it.”
From her experience, Maura says a big factor in farmers making an effort to improve farm safety is often due to a friend or neighbour having a farming related accident.
This can be a wake-up call for them. She believes most farmers do make an effort to stay safe, but often accidents are down to not being mindful of the task at hand.
“Lads are multitasking now. They are in the tractor, they are thinking about the next job they are going to do and next thing they have driven out in the middle of the road when they are bringing in a load of silage.”
Take the time to think about safety on your farm. Farm safety is not a week, it is a way of living and one through which lives can be saved. CL
For more, see the Focus section in the Irish Farmers Journal, pages 39-43
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