A collection of farm safety tools was launched in Westport by the Organic Mayo KT Group, based on key findings of a Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM)-funded project.

The BeSafe Project undertook research on farm safety in Ireland and then developed practical farm safety approaches to effect positive, lasting change

The Mayo knowledge transfer (KT) group worked with some of the project’s key findings and developed the findings into practical tools to raise farm safety awareness and address risks.  

Speaking at the launch of the tools, group member and farmer Michael Holmes said: “You have to talk to farmers, to get an understanding of what happens on farms, in order to find ways to address and improve things.” 

A farmer-centred approach was a key aspect of the BeSafe project, explained Dr. Áine Macken-Walsh, who led the co-design process. 

The Teagasc researcher said: “The BeSafe scientific team identified key risks based on evidence.

Organic adviser, KT group facilitator, and acting Mayo regional manager, John Noonan, emphasised the importance of making farm safety an everyday part of farming life.

“When we’re doing a job, with sheep or cattle or whatever, do we think, is this safe?

"This should be an automatic consideration, to think of safety. It should be part of the plan," he said.

Safety tools

The group developed prototypes which a team of animators and graphic designers developed into finished versions.

An updated interactive farm safety map was produced by the group, highlighting common hazards on farms.

Further tools designed by the group include: animation, showing a farm of the future with labour-saving and data-based technology for improved farm safety; and a prototype job planning app that builds farm safety to all relevant steps. 

Group member and farmer Martin Kerrigan said: “Visuals are important to help remind farmers at all times that there are safety risks with almost every job on a farm.”

A further tool was developed with Teagasc, Moorepark and Teagasc dairy advisers to support better time management on farms, reflecting the relationship between time pressure and risk of farm accidents.  

Group member and farmer, PJ Foy, whose young son attended the launch, said: “The older you get, the more near misses you experience, the more aware you are.

"The more you pinch your fingers in gates, and more serious things, the more sense you get.

"We need to share that sense of safety with our younger farmers.

Teagasc farm health and safety specialist, Francis Bligh, further emphasised the importance of engendering awareness of farm safety among young people, both those who live on farms and those who do nott.

BeSafe

The BeSafe project was led by Dr. David Meredith, Teagasc, with the co-design work undertaken by Dr Macken-Walsh and Dr. Marion Beecher, Teagasc, and involved colleagues at the University of Galway and University College Dublin.

The scientific team was complemented by the expertise of extension specialists Dr. John MacNamara and Francis Bligh from Teagasc, and regulatory specialists from the Health and Safety Authority, and was supported by the Farm Safety Partnership.

Dr McNamara, senior specialist advisor in occupational safety and health, Teagasc, said that the BeSafe tools complement a diverse range of initiatives and practical tools that are informed by scientific research but for direct use by farmers.

"They are suitable for wide circulation in farming circles and use in discussion groups, which will enhance their impact," he said.

Dr. David Meredith highlighted the effectiveness of taking a farmer-centred, multi-actor approach.

He said: “BeSafe has shown that placing co-design of solutions intended for farmers’ use in the hands of farmers themselves is an effective way of developing impactful approaches for policy and practice.

"We are continuing and expanding this approach in the EU funded SafeHabitus project and other nationally funded projects that are in the pipeline.” 

The BeSafe farm safety tools are available on the Teagasc website.