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Students: Kevin Lenihan, James Mc Donnell & Eamon Nolan
Year: 5th year students
Teacher: Cáit Mc Ellistrem
Our Idea: ‘An Alarm to prevent you from harm.’
We are all conscious of the many dangers present on the farm. One aspect that we wanted to focus on was the dangers that are present when working with slurry, in terms of illnesses or near-death experiences caused by toxic slurry pit gases.
The three of us brainstormed together and came up with a safety alarm idea. It contains sensors that identify high levels of methane and hydrogen sulphide gases.
The alarm is located roughly 1ft above the area in which the agitation occurs. This will be connected to an alarm which can be put in the farmer’s house. The alarm will ring when high levels of toxic gases are detected outside the slurry pit. This will alert the farmer, letting him know that no adults, children or animals should be near the area in which agitation is occurring.
In addition to the alarm located at the open pit, we came up with the idea of having a motion sensor at the gate into the pit so if anything passes through it, the alarm in the house will sound, letting you know if someone or something has gone into the pit. The farmer himself will have a code to disable the alarm if it is needed.
We also hope to paint the area around the slurry pit opening in red, this would act as a visual sign for danger, for younger kids especially.
We would hope that by painting the cover of the agitation point red, it would serve as a visual warning to those in close proximity.
Our aim is to reduce the number of accidents and fatalities on the farm. 10% of all deaths are related to slurry pits. We want to at the very least reduce this number.
Inspiration
When we heard about the tragic news of Nevin Spence, we said that we would get involved to try and help develop an idea around slurry safety. Castleisland is a farming-based community. We wanted to get involved to try and make a difference in the area.
We feel that our idea could potentially reduce the number of slurry gas related deaths on farms.
What it would mean to win
To win the ESB Networks National Safety Challenge would be massive for us. Just to know that we are helping farmers to improve their safety around the farm makes all our efforts worthwhile. To have our idea featured in the Irish Farmers Journal will also allow us to expand our project further.
Eoin McLoughlin demonstrating how his moveable safety barrier operates.
Students: Eoin McLoughlin
Year: 5th year student
Teacher: Marian Condron
My Idea: ‘Moveable Safety Barrier’
My idea is a movable, non-return safety barrier, which passes over the calf, allowing access to the calf and preventing the cow from attacking the farmer. It is a unique concept in that it prevents the need for the farmer to come in any direct contact with the cow.
How it works
The farmer enters the pen at the opposite side of the barrier to the cow. The farmer can then proceed to push the gate forward towards the cow, over the calf, until a point where the cow is forced into the head gate to the rear of the calving pen.
It’s important to note that the cow cannot push this barrier back towards the farmer at any time due to the ratchet-based mechanism on which the gate is based, similar to the ratchet mechanism on a calving jack.
The farmer can release the gate when he is finished tending to the calf and pull the gate back to the entrance of the pen, again ensuring that no direct contact with the cow is needed.
My idea will improve safety on the farm by allowing the farmer to safely remove the calf from the freshly calved cow, without having to come in any direct contact with the cow.
I have made a prototype of my idea and carried out surveys with farmers, to see if it is something that would work on their farms. So far, the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.
Inspiration
My idea has been developed as a result of my experience on our family farm. One of the most dangerous times on the farm is when the cow has just calved, so this is why I decided to develop the moveable safety barrier.
What it would mean to win
To win the ESB Networks National Safety Challenge would mean everything. It would give me the chance to promote my idea and limit the number of potential injuries that could potentially be sustained from a freshly calved cow.
DISCLAIMER: The products and designs listed were judged and awarded prizes for the purpose of the ESB Networks National Safety Challenge only. ESB Networks do not own or endorse these products or designs.
The ESB Networks National Safety Challenge is proudly supported by Safe Family Farms, a joint initiative between ESB Networks and The Irish Farmers Journal, to raise awareness and make farms a safer place for all.
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