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To exit a tractor safely it is recommended that you do so backwards, like climbing down a ladder.
Over a third of farmers say that the reason they don’t do this is out of habit or because of skills gaps.
In total, 36% of farmers surveyed by UCD said that it is a question of breaking a bad habit. Thirty-six per cent said that they were unfamiliar with how to alight from a tractor safely.
Physical difficulties
Meanwhile, 33% of those surveyed said that it is a question of visibility or time pressure. Almost one in four said that physical difficulties such as back pain or poor fitness prevented them from safe alighting.
Professor Jim Kinsella from UCD presented the figures as pre-trial survey data from a Teagasc Walsh Fellowship which is looking at farm safety and health in dairy discussion groups.
SHARING OPTIONS: