A nationwide week-long farm inspection campaign focused on farmer health and wellbeing has been launched by the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) today (Monday, November 21).
Research consistently finds that farmers in particular and those working on the land suffer greater work-related health issues than those working in many other sectors, according to the HSA.
Musculoskeletal injury, cardiovascular disease, hearing loss, particular skin cancers, workplace stress and anxiety all have a disproportionate effect on farmers’ health.
During the inspection campaign, HSA inspectors will encourage farmers to consider their health and wellbeing and to take proactive steps to protect their physical and mental health. Advice includes:
- Get physically active: If you have not been very active, begin with 10 minutes and gradually build this up to 30 minutes a day of moderate intensity exercise;
- Protect your back: Eliminate and minimize strenuous lifting, pulling and pushing and seek out lifting aids for remaining lifting tasks;
- Protect your hearing: Stay away from noisy activity. If you find it difficult to hear someone speaking within 2m from you, you should be wearing hearing protection;
- Protect your skin: Wash and dry your skin to prevent disease and prevent skin cancers by wearing long sleeve shirts and broad brim hats and applying sun protection;
- Protect your lungs: Wear appropriate masks to protect from spores from mouldy hay and dusts from animal housing;
- Mind your mental health: Share your concerns with those you trust, reach out if feeling overloaded or low, there is lots of help out there.
Research shows that 1 in 4 farmers at the age of 30 and half of farmers at the age of 50 have hearing loss. In addition, around 7 in 10 teenagers living on farms show early signs of “noise-induced” hearing loss, the HSA said.
One in two farmers have suffered from back problems at some time in their life and one poor lift can result in a lifelong injury. About 60% of non-smoking Irish farmers report having some lung or breathing issues.
Farmers who now rely heavily on machinery do not get enough physical activity, and 1 in 5 cases of heart disease and 1 in 10 cases of stroke are caused by lack of physical activity, according to the HSA.
Farmers and those working on farms have four times the risk of developing skin disease and cancers compared with other occupational groups, with deaths from melanoma higher among farmers than “indoor” workers.
Farm inspection campaign
Launching the inspection campaign, senior inspector for agriculture at the HSA, Pat Griffin said many farmers do not consider their own health and wellbeing a priority in their day-to-day work on the farm, but that must change.
“If farmers prioritise their own health and wellbeing it will have a significant impact on their ability to live a healthy and productive life. A lot of Irish farmers work in isolation, do not prioritise their health and often do not seek out assistance when they should, especially around mental health and wellbeing.
“I would encourage farmers to take one step this month to establish healthy habits in their work on the farm around physical activity, diet and connection with others, and ensure they have a good work-life balance,” he said.
Feeling stressed influences your thinking and problem-solving, reducing your ability to think clearly and calmly and can have long-term negative health impacts, according to the HSA.
“Farmers should consider workload and what they are doing on the farm today, how it can affect them in the long run and what changes would help,” Griffin added.