Farmers know and understand the dangers of farming but there are many who do not believe that farm safety is an important issue, Teagasc researchers have discovered.
According to the results of a project which looked at the “attitudes and intentions” of farmers regarding safety, a significant percentage of the 386 participating farmers said they “engaged” in unsafe farming practices.
Teagasc believes that enhancing farmer health and improving farm safety are critical to the “social sustainability of farming”.
But the data collected by Teagasc farm advisors, who supported the research and farmers attending education and training courses, suggests that 57% of those surveyed engaged in unsafe farming practices.
According to Dr. David Meredith, Teagasc and BeSafe project leader, there is evidence that shows that farmers play a critical role in influencing, not only other farmers, but also family members, other workers, and farm advisors.
“Roughly 26% of farmers can be considered to practice safe farming,” Dr. Meredith said.
“These farmers are important role models for farmers who have good safety intentions but are slow to adopt safe practices because of a perception that ‘good farmers’ do not take safety seriously.”
The results of the research project highlighted that farmers agree that farming is a dangerous occupation. But there is also a perception that although farmers may intend to be safe “they engage in practices that are unsafe as this is what they believe other farmers and people they respect, expect them to do”.
The research was carried out as part of the BeSafe project, a collaboration between researchers in Teagasc, University College Dublin (UCD) and University of Galway. It is funded by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.
As part of the BeSafe project, Teagasc will host a free, national farm safety conference on Wednesday, November 23, from 10:00a.m to 1:00p.m in the Teagasc Ashtown Food Research Centre, Dublin 15.
The conference will look at the attitudes and intentions of farmers regarding safety and health and also the role of advisory services and practical initiatives in reducing the risks associated with tractors and machinery.
A new series of farm safety videos will also be launched at the event by the Minister for Farm Safety.