The Health and Safety Authority (HSA) has launched an investigation into the tragic death of a farmer in his 70s who died in a farm accident.
The death occurred in the Ballyfad area of Co. Wexford this morning (Wednesday, November 22), at 11:00a.m.
Gardaí confirmed to Agriland that the man’s body has been removed from the scene and a post-mortem examination will take place at a later date. The coroner has been notified.
There are no further details to the incident at the moment.
Another farm accident
Earlier this month (Thursday, November 2), Gardaí and emergency services were alerted to the fatal incident at a property in Aughavore, Carrigallen, Co. Leitrim.
Father of three and dairy farmer, John Harkness (58) fell from the roof of an outbuilding.
Gardaí, the fire service and the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) all attended the scene.
Neighbours described Harkness as “hardworking and loyal neighbour and a very kind man”.
Farm safety
A total of 1,442 applications have been received for the Farm Safety Measure 2023, according to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM).
The deadline for submitting applications to receive payments under the scheme had previously been extended by the DAFM until Friday, November 10.
Over the past decade, there were on average 19 fatal incidents on Irish farms each year, accounting for more than two in five of all workplace fatalities, the department said.
New quad regulations came into place this week, which makes it compulsory for all quad bike operators to wear a helmet.
According to a recently published study, no helmet was in use in half of the quad-bike accidents examined over a six-year period in Ireland.