Pledge to tackle farm accidents among young and elderly

PREVENTING farm accidents that involve children and elderly people will be two key themes of the Health and Safety Authority at the three-day National Ploughing Championships which begin today in Tullamore, Co Offaly.

One in five farm deaths in the past 10 years have involved children. There has also been an increase in the number of elderly people being killed in farm accidents in recent years.

The Health and Safety Authority will highlight the risks associated with farming and the steps that can be taken to prevent fatalities and serious injuries occurring through accidents.

Minister of State Billy Kelleher will launch an illustrated child safety farm book on the authority’s stand at the championships this afternoon. The storyline in the book follows a dog called Jessy and her three puppies as they encounter dangers on the farm.

It is intended that parents would read the book with their children.

Health and Safety Authority senior inspector Pat Griffin said that agriculture is the only economic sector where children are often killed or seriously injured.

“It’s an intolerable situation and everyone involved in agriculture must do everything in their power to eliminate the risk of child fatalities or injury on the farm,” he said.

The child safety book, developed by the Health and Safety Authority with Lily Nolan of Teagasc, will be distributed free at the championships.

Safety for older farmers will also be high on the authority’s agenda at the ploughing championships. Last year, eight people aged 70 or above died in farm-related accidents and hundreds more suffered injuries.

Authority inspectors will be on hand to highlight the issue and distribute a leaflet on safety and elderly farmers.

The HSA stand, in association with the Farm Safety Partnership, will also feature machinery safety demonstrations and advice on the code of practice for the agriculture sector, a key safety document which the authority sent to 160,000 farmers last year.

More than 150,000 people are expected to attend the ploughing championships, which President Mary McAleese will officially open at noon today.