Farmers have been encouraged to take time this Farm Safety Week 2023, themed ‘Make farm safety a way of life’, to review working practices to ensure their farm is safe.
The 11th annual Farm Safety Week led by the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) in Ireland has commenced today (Monday, July 17) with a key focus on increased vehicle safety.
Tractors account for 53% of vehicle-related farm deaths, with elderly farmers and children at an increased risk, recent figures by the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) show.
Encouraging farmers to take time this week to review working practices to ensure their farm is safe, the IFA president, Tim Cullinan said:
“The rate of farm accidents and fatalities is too high, and we need to make a change and think ‘safety first’. We must reduce the risks in our workplace.
“Every safety procedure reduces the risk of accident or worse. We need to adopt a stronger culture of farm safety, and we are asking farmers to do this now.”
HSA statistics on work-related fatalities in agriculture in Ireland 2013-2022 show:
- 45% of deaths were caused by tractors and farm vehicles such as quad bikes and loaders;
- 18% of farm fatalities involved work with livestock;
- On average, 19 people are killed in farm accidents every year;
- Attacks by cows with calves accounted for 29% of fatalities caused by livestock;
- Quad bikes make up 12% of vehicle-related deaths.
Further figures show that 42% of worker victims were aged 65 years or older; 60% of quad bike accidents involve people over 60 years of age; and 85% of child fatalities involve vehicles and machinery, the IFA said.
“The new quad bike (ATV) regulations require that all operators of quad bikes complete a quad bike training course provided by a registered training provider to a QQI Standard or equivalent.
“Additionally, operators must wear appropriate head protection while operating a quad bike. The regulations come into force in November 2023,” according to the IFA.
Farm Safety Week 2023
This year’s campaign aims to urge farmers to make farm safety a “way of life” to protect their families from life-changing and life-ending incidents by creating safer working environments.
“It is essential that farmers prioritise farm safety and put health and safety issues at the top of their agenda,” IFA national farm family and social affairs chair, Alice Doyle said.
“Farm safety is not something to be considered occasionally; it must be incorporated into every aspect of farm life,” Minister of State with special responsibility for farm safety at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM), Martin Heydon said.
Stating that the risks involved in farming can be reduced by promoting a culture of identifying and mitigating risks before any job takes place, Minister Heydon said:
“Farming should never cost an arm, a leg, or a life, and I urge all farmers to use this week as an opportunity to commit themselves and their families to make their farms safer places to live and work.”
Teagasc director Prof. Frank O’Mara stated that Teagasc “strongly supports” Farm Safety Week 2023 and encourages farmers to use the week to invigorate health and safety management on their farms.