'Appalling' Safety Record on Farms

By Deborah Condon, Irish Health

Ireland

April 4, 2005

The farming sector in Ireland has an appalling safety record, particularly among older people, the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) has said.

According to the authority, five people have died in farm-related accidents so far this year and of these, four were over the age of 65. Meanwhile in 2004, 50% of people who died on farms were aged 65 or older.

The figures were released to coincide with the launch of Farm Safety Week, which begins on April 11. The campaign will focus on four themes; safety for the elderly, machine guarding, completion of farm safety self assessment documents and tractor maintenance.

"Tractors are involved in 34% of all serious farm accidents and approximately 40% of all deaths. It is imperative that tractor operation and the guarding of machinery is seen as a top priority on farms", said Agriculture Minister, Mary Coughlan.

The HSA emphasised the importance of completing the farm safety self assessment document, which helps prevent accidents and protect lives on farms.

"There are too many needless deaths and injuries on farms. Farm families should use this week to help identify safety issues on their farms and address them immediately", said HSA chairman, Jim Lyons. 

He added that while much progress has been made in this sector over the last number of years, 'deaths still remain stubbornly high'.

A number of activities will take place as part of Farm Safety Week, including a national radio campaign, a targeted inspection campaign and the inclusion of 90,000 farm safety brochures in the Farmer's Journal. 

Text message alerts will also be sent to farmers during the week.