A man has reportedly been airlifted to hospital this evening, August 1, after allegedly being crushed by a hay bale on a farm in Co. Clare.

The incident is believed to have taken place at approximately 7:00pm this evening near the coastal village of Fanore.

It is understood that the man, who was in his 40s, was working with hay bales when one rolled over on him. He sustained crush injuries as a result of the incident.

Emergency services were called to the scene; once he was stabilised, the man was transported to Shannon Airport by helicopter. He was driven to University Hospital Limerick by ambulance, according to reports.

This accident took place just days after the fifth annual Farm Safety Week initiative in Ireland and the UK came to a close.

Running throughout last week, the initiative focused on a key topic each day. These topics included: machinery and transport; livestock; machinery; falls; and children on farms.

Farming continues to have one of the poorest safety records of any sector in Ireland, last year 21 people lost their lives in farm accidents; a total of 14 people have lost their lives so far in 2017.

Meanwhile, late last month a boy was airlifted to hospital from a farm in Northern Ireland.

The accident – which occurred on Saturday, July 22, prior to 2:00pm – involved a tractor on a farm in the Castlewellan area of Co. Down.

The child was airlifted by Air Ambulance Northern Ireland to Belfast, where he was transferred to the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children.

This was the first time the new air ambulance service was called into action.