Farm safety is one of the most emotive subjects that an agricultural journalist will ever write about.
I well remember the day as a young student that I walked on to a building site for the first time. The plan was a very simple one – earn enough money over the summer to keep me afloat during the long academic year that would follow.
On the day in question I was wearing a very well-known brand of trainers.
However, my idyllic reflections were very quickly and ‘rudely’ interrupted by a clerk of works, telling me in a very straightforward manner that, unless I presented myself in front of him within the hour wearing a pair of safety boots, I could sling my hook.
This was my first real experience of what it meant to be safety compliant within the workplace.
Health and safety breaches
To be fair to the guy, he subbed me the £30 needed to buy the boots. I subsequently learned that the site in question had been temporarily shut down earlier that year because of health and safety breaches that had been identified.
Seemingly, inspectors had arrived without notice, found matters not to their liking and closed the entire place down within a very short space of time.
Construction used to be the most dangerous way of life to follow in the UK and Ireland, now it is one of the safest.
This change did not come about on the back of educational videos and encouragement from those in authority.
No, governments decided to take action by, essentially, taking a zero-tolerance approach to breaches in safety regulations within the entire building industry.
Now farming has the unenviable reputation of being the most dangerous occupation that anyone can follow.
And I have often wondered if the steps taken to sort out the building sector cannot be replicated within agriculture.
Risks continue to rise in agriculture
Don’t get me wrong, continuing education must remain a crucial part of the response to the continuing health and safety challenge that exists on all our farms.
As we all know, tractors and other farm machinery items keep getting bigger, while the number of stock being managed per person working within Irish agriculture, continues to rise inexorably.
But it’s also a fact that people tend to comply more readily with regulations when they recognise that the risk of non compliance will hit them significantly in the pocket.
What’s the point in taking a carrot and stick approach if it’s all carrot and no stick?
Farm inspections
First off, every farm inspection carried out In Ireland – irrespective of the scheme involved – should have a strong health and safety theme built within it.
And this point should be made very clear by the inspector involved at the outset of the visit.
If health and safety breaches are identified during the visit, two things should happen – the farmer involved should be automatically barred from the scheme in question until the matter has been satisfactorily resolved.
Breaches of this nature should also bring with them automatic single payment deductions.
In addition, all farmers should be mandated to contact the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) to confirm the planned undertaking of any building, construction or repair projects that have clear safety risks associated with them.
Specifically, this would include any work focused on the replacement or repair of roofs.
These are just two thoughts that come to mind; no doubt other steps could be taken to sharpen farmers’ minds on the absolute importance of keeping themselves and their family members safe at all times.
LMC comment on farm safety
Livestock and Meat Commission (LMC) CEO Ian Stevenson has gone on the record many times to remind farmers that all accidents can be avoided. And he’s right.
It’s all about getting everyone working on our farms to put health and safety as their number one priority as they go about their day-to-day lives.
I know that we are all busy people. But taking that extra minute to think through the health and safety implications associated with every job that is undertaken on farms, could make so much difference in getting the accident rate down.
Junior minister Martin Heydon says that he is going to ensure that Ireland’s new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) measures will have a strong health and safety dimension built into them.
I heartily welcome this approach. It is long overdue that Ireland’s farm support measures officially recognised the absolute priority of helping to deliver improved health and safety standards.
‘Walking the walk’ in terms of farm safety
The junior minister refers to the issues of ‘talking the talk’ and ‘walking the walk’. In my opinion, ‘walking the walk’ must mean that identified farm safety breaches are officially recognised as non compliance issues.
I totally agree with the principle of ensuring that farmers have sufficient funds to allow them invest in the most up to date health and safety standards.
And this commitment must be ramped up accordingly at government level.
But on the other hand, I also believe that health and safety breaches should be officially regarded as the number one CAP non compliance criterion recognised in Ireland.
At the end of the day, the principle involved is a very simple one – one farm accident is one too many.