The Health and Safety Authority (HSA) is beginning a four-week nationwide inspection campaign focusing on working at height in agricultural settings.

Over the past 10 years, (2016-2025), there were 177 fatalities on Irish farms.

Of these fatalities, 21 were as a result of falls from height.

The campaign begins tomorrow (October 5).

Gerard Hartnett, senior inspector with the HSA, said farmers need to be aware of the risks of working at height and plan ahead before undertaking the work

He said: “A fall from a height can be catastrophic, leading to serious life changing injuries or even death.

“Carrying out work without considering the risks involved can be devastating.”

He added that quite often, the “quick job” catches people out.The main hazards when working at height are falls from ladders, unprotected edges of roofs or other structures, falls through fragile roof materials and falls from stacked bales.

Advice

Before working on a roof, farmers should check whether it is fragile or capable of supporting a person's weight, the HSA advises.

Particular attention should be paid to roof sections or materials that could easily break, shatter or give way.A safe system of work must be used to remove bales from stacks.

Farmers should avoid getting on top of bale stacks and use suitable bale handling equipment operated by a competent person to remove bales.

Children must not be allowed to play on top of stacked bales.

Inspectors

HSA inspectors will be reminding farmers of the serious risks involved in any work at height and will be advising farmers to carry out risk assessments in advance of any work at height.

It also reminds farmers to plan a safe system of work and use appropriate control measures such as a MEWP (Mobile Elevated Work Platform), working platform(s), adequate edge protection or other measures to prevent falls from height.

Farmers are encouraged to use the specific advice and risk assessment provided in the Working at Height in Agriculture – Information Sheet available on the HSA website.HSA inspectors will also be highlighting its ‘How to Make Construction Appointments for your Farm’ guidance document, which advises farmers on when they need to make appointments for construction work that they plan to undertake.

It is a legal requirement to make sure appointments are made prior to construction work starting, and it follows an easy three-step process, which is covered in the guidance.Benefits of making appointments for construction work on farms include:

A reduced likelihood of accidents and incidents occurring during the project;
Protection for farmers, as clients, by helping them comply with their legal obligations and reducing the risk of prosecution following a construction-related incident;
Clear allocation of responsibility for managing health and safety on the project, with these duties assigned to the appointed Project Supervisor for the Design Process (PSDP) and Project Supervisor for the Construction Stage (PSCS).

Harnett said: “Storms and changes in weather can lead to more hazardous conditions for carrying out work at height, particularly when carrying out repairs on farm buildings.

“We advise farmers to plan ahead and make sure that work at height is only carried out with protective measures in place.”Maintenance of a structure is considered ‘construction work’ and the extensive legal requirements for construction work must be complied with.

When working with third parties, duty holders must ensure work is planned, managed and adequately supervised.