A tractor driver in Co. Waterford was killed following a road traffic collision on Tuesday morning, May 23, at approximately 11:20am.
Gardai are investigating the accident which occurred at Ballinageeragh, Dunhill in Co. Waterford.
The male driver, who was 62-years-old, was fatally injured when the tractor he was driving collided with a ditch; it is believed the tractor overturned following the collision.
He was pronounced dead at the scene and nobody else was injured in the collision, according to the Gardai; investigations are still ongoing.
Tractors the focus of a farm inspection campaign
Earlier this month, the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) announced that a ‘month-long, intensive’ farm inspection campaign, focusing on tractors and farm machinery, would take place during the month of May.
Approximately 500 inspections were expected to be carried out; each year nearly half of all farm deaths, and many more serious accidents, are linked to tractors and machinery, the HSA added.
During the campaign, a particular focus was expected to be placed on reducing the risk of accidents where a person could be struck or crushed by a tractor or farm implement.
The guarding of machinery, such as a protective cover around a PTO shaft, is also an important factor in preventing accidents, the HSA added.
A range of information on tractor and machinery safety is available on the HSA’s website.
The HSA also carried out an extensive farm inspection campaign during the month of March, placing a particular focus on the safe handling of livestock.