A heavy workload is a barrier to farm safety for almost 90% of farmers, according to a study being carried out by Atlantic Technological University (ATU), Sligo.

Researcher Carolyn Scott has found that heavy workloads and time constraints are the biggest barriers for farmers.

One-fifth of farmers said that a heavy workload is always a barrier to safety, while 68% of farmers said that it is sometimes a barrier.

Another 17% of farmers said that workload is always a barrier, with 69% saying it is sometimes a barrier.

Lack of assistance, being tired or fatigued and the lack of suitable equipment were other major barriers for farmers, according to the results.

Training

The research also found that the majority of farmers thought that health and safety training for livestock handling and agricultural vehicles were most useful in terms of improving safety.

Confined spaces and diseases training were deemed least useful by the farmers who took part in study.