362 accidents were reported to the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) in meat processing plants over an almost 12-month period, according to the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment.
The highest number of accidents was recorded in Co. Cavan, with the lowest levels in counties Limerick and Leitrim.
The most common cause of incidents involved lifting or carrying items.
Meat plants
The data was released following a parliamentary question from Social Democrats TD, Holly Cairns.
The Co. Cork deputy asked for data on workplace accidents that occurred in meat processing plants in each county between December 1, 2020 and November 30, 2021.
Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Damien English, said that there is a duty on all employers to report any work-related accident causing staff to lose four or more days of work to the HSA.
The minister said that the information is based on European Statistics on Accidents at Work methodology, which relies on a classification system called Nomenclature of Economic Activities (NACE).
In meat plants, the work practices are split into three categories: processing and preserving of meat; processing and preserving of poultry meat and production of meat and poultry meat products.
The minister said 362 non-fatal accidents in meat plants identified by the NACE codes were reported to the HSA from December 1, 2020 to November 30 this year.
The data showed that the number of accidents was highest in counties Cavan, Tipperary and Cork.
County Number of accidents % of total Cavan 76 20.99% Tipperary 61 16.85% Cork 48 13.26% Monaghan 30 8.29% Wexford 17 4.7% Offaly 16 4.42% Kildare 14 3.87% Longford 14 3.87% Meath 12 3.31% Kilkenny 10 2.76% Laois 10 2.76% Louth 8 2.21% Westmeath 8 2.21% Wicklow 7 1.93% Waterford 6 1.66% Carlow 5 1.38% Donegal 5 1.38% Dublin 5 1.38% Mayo 5 1.38% Galway 3 0.83% Leitrim 1 0.28% Limerick 1 0.28% Total 362 100%
The most common causes or triggers for accidents are also recorded by the HSA, with lifting or carrying being involved in over 18% of incidents:
Cause or trigger for accident Number of accidents % of total Lifting/carrying 66 18.23% Other triggers not listed 59 16.3% Pushing/pulling 53 14.64% Fall on same level (slip, stumble etc.) 46 12.71% Loss of control of hand held tool 31 8.56% Twisting/turning 22 6.08% Loss of control of object being worked on 19 5.25% Body movement (no physical stress) 13 3.59% Breakage of material at joints 11 3.04% Fall from height 10 2.76% Loss of control of machine 10 2.76% Loss of control of means of transport or handling equipment 8 2.21% Loss of control of animal 6 1.66% Overflow, leakage, emission of gas 4 1.1% Overflow, leakage, emission of liquid 3 0.83% Person in inappropriate area 1 0.28% Total 362 100%
Minister English said that the food sector is highly regulated with a high level of compliance with health and safety legislation.
“Thus, in any one year the HSA carries out a lower level of inspections in the food sector compared to the construction or farming sectors where workplace fatalities and accidents are considerable higher,” he added.