A man in his 50s has been killed in a shed accident in Co. Mayo earlier today (Wednesday, January 9), An Garda Siochana has confirmed.

The incident took place in a yard near the village of Ballindine at approximately 4:15pm this afternoon, a Garda representative told AgriLand.

It is believed that the man in question was hit by part of a roof during the demolition of a shed.

There are reports that the accident occurred on a farmyard, though this was not confirmed by Gardai.

The man’s body was purportedly taken to Mayo University Hospital, Castlebar, where a post-mortem is to take place tomorrow.

The Health and Safety Authority (HSA) has been informed of the incident and is looking into the matter to clarify the circumstances.

Should this be classed as a work-related death, it will be the first farm-related fatality of 2019.

15 farm-related deaths in 2018

The news comes just days after the HSA released its statistics for work-place fatalities during 2018.

Figures released yesterday (Tuesday, January 8) show that 37 people were killed in work-related accidents in 2018, a decline of 23% on 2017.

The farming sector, which has consistently been the most dangerous sector in which to work, featured 15 work-related deaths last year compared to 25 in 2017, a decline of 40%.

CEO of the HSA, Dr. Sharon McGuinness noted that, with 15 fatalities – which represents 41% of total fatalities – farming had far too many for a sector that employs just 6% of the workforce.