Farm leaders meet to discuss how they can reduce accidents
The Health and Safety Authority and Teagasc, with FBD sponsorship and the support of the Farm Safety Partnership, hosted a ‘National Conference on Farm Safety and Health’ today at the Dolmen Hotel in Co Carlow.
The theme of the conference was ‘Safe Farming in Challenging Times’ with contributions from national and international experts on farm safety and health.
Farm leaders were also in attendance with Joe Healy, IFA President, Pat McCormack, ICMSA President and Denis Duggan, CEO of Macra Na Feirme each taking turns to chair the discussions throughout the day.
Minister of State for Trade, Employment, Business, EU Digital Single Market and Data Protection, Pat Breen made the opening address. The Minister called on farmers to drive behavioural change from within the industry.
He said
To achieve a lasting and significant reduction in accident rates, a change in mind-set in relation to safety, health and welfare across all elements of the sector will need to occur.
Dr Sharon McGuinness, CEO of the HSA told the conference that while her organisation recognises the challenges farmers and farm families face, the number of elderly persons being killed on farms is deeply concerning.
So far this year eight farmers aged 70 and over have been killed in accidents. This does not happen in any other industry.
Professor Gerry Boyle, Director of Teagasc spoke about the importance of peer-to-peer learning.
He said that
Research and Knowledge Transfer has a vital role in assisting farmers with adapting both the physical farm infrastructure and behaviours for enhanced safety and health management.
An international perspective on farm safety was provided by Professor Peter Lundqvist of the Department of Work Science in Sweden. Prof Lundqvist set out how following intensive work on farm safety in Sweden, when farmers were provided with one-to-one supervision on farm safety and health, they achieved a calendar year with zero fatalities.
Prof Lundqvist called for EU action to ensure such initiatives could be sustainable, calling for a dedicated European Farm Safety Organisation, EU funding for research, education and extension programs and investment in farm safety to attract bonus payments. He appealed to farmers not to see risk in farming as normal but to treat farm work more as a business that needs safety management.
UCD Professor, Jim Kinsella presented research on improving safety on dairy farms through Discussion Groups. Prof Kinsella noted that dairy farmers are already discussing farm safety and health in their discussion groups, however to a limited extent in most cases.
Discussion groups are long established and have proven successful in enabling farm practice changes. The research findings to date suggest that dairy discussion groups have potential to enable behaviour change in farm safety and health.
Editors Notes
As at the 26th Oct 2018 there are 17 confirmed Agriculture fatalities
58% aged 60 and over,
23% to people in their 50’s
47% Tractors/ Vehicles (8)
29% Livestock (5)
Age Number Fatals (year to date)
<18 1
20s 0
30s 1
40s 1
50s 4
60s 2
70s 5
80s 1
90s 2
Total 17
Trigger Number of Fatals (year to date)
Tractor, Farm Vehicle 8
Livestock 5
Machinery 1
Timber 1
Fall from Height 1
Slurry 1
Total 17
County Number of Fatals (year to date)
Galway 3
Tipperary 3
Meath 1
Offaly 1
Kerry 1
Kilkenny 1
Sligo 1
Cavan 1
Westmeath 1
Waterford 1
Mayo 1
Monaghan 1
Laois 1
Total 17