This is a subscriber-only article
Fatal accident rates are tending to fall among younger farmers aged under 55 years, but tending upwards among older farmers aged over 70, according to Teagasc health and safety specialist Dr John McNamara.
Speaking at Crops & Spreaders Open Day in Oak Park on Wednesday, he said that this trend was emerging from latest data and is apparent here and in other countries.
The falling trend for younger farmers could be due to greater awareness about safety and to take up of new technology in farm equipment.
“The majority of farmers are now very positive to messages about farm safety,” he said.
His colleague on the stand Francis Bligh said that a significant number of farmers visiting the safety stand at the Oak Park event reported experiencing lower-back pain and related problems.
“It’s likely that’s not only from tasks like lifting bags of seed or fertiliser but from long hours spent on the tractor seat without breaks.”
He said that in many cases damage had been done in previous years before the increasing uptake of tractor suspension.
SHARING OPTIONS: