Traumas resulting in life-changing injuries happen twice as much on farms
Agricultural workers suffer more than twice as many non-fatal workplace injuries as workers in other sectors, according to new research on farm safety.
Today, Monday, July 20, marks the start of the eighth annual Farm Safety Week.
The campaign aims to reduce the number of accidents on farms and bring about a change in culture that makes unsafe practices socially unacceptable. The message for this year’s campaign is: It’s time to take safety seriously.
The paper was a study of the data collected as part of the Major Trauma Audit at the National Office of Clinical Audit (NOCA).
The paper, which examines the period 2014-2016, is the first significant study concerning this topic in Ireland.
Farming continues to have one of the most inadequate safety records of any sector in Ireland. Last year, 19 people lost their lives in farm accidents, while 14 people lost their lives so far in 2020.
Dr. Conor Deasy, clinical lead of MTA, NOCA, said: “The NOCA teamed up with Dr. Michael Sheehan, a farmer and emergency medicine doctor to perform this study.
“It shows the importance of farmers engaging with health and safety practices to prevent accidents occurring.
The major traumas we describe result in life-threatening or life-changing injuries and happen twice as much on family farms than in other industries.
“Of note, farmers who sustain injuries are often older and have other medical problems making their care more complex. Unlike any other industry, the age range of those sustaining injuries on farms included infants to 90-year-olds,” Dr. Deasy added.
Pat Griffin, senior inspector with the Health and Safety Authority (HSA), said: “Farm safety needs to be proactively managed by every farmer and every contractor supported and encouraged by all the major farming organisations.”
Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) president Tim Cullinan said: “All too often, farmers do not recognise the risks on their farms, which makes it difficult to manage the problem.
Farmers have to be more careful, take their time and think about what could go wrong before they undertake any job.
Finally, Gerry Boyle, director of Teagasc, said: “We are particularly concerned with the rise in farm workplace deaths so far in 2020.
“Farmers must be alert to dangers and take immediate preventative action. Avoiding haste and fatigue is crucial to prevent farm accidents.”
