Kelleher calls for more vigilance on farms at safety action plan launch

A CALL for increased vigilance on farms was made yesterday by Labour Affairs Minister Billy Kelleher when he launched a farm safety action plan in Dublin.

He said there had been 20 farm deaths reported to the Health and Safety Authority in 2008 compared to 11 for 2007.

This was very worrying, he said.

Mr Kelleher said the goals set out in the farm safety action plan were ambitious but he had every confidence they would be achieved.

The plan covers a period of four years from 2009 but work on it is already well under way.

“Safe farming is about protecting life and limb. I would appeal to all farmers not to take chances when it comes to the safety, health and well-being of themselves and their families,” he said.

Health and Safety Authority chief executive, Martin O’Halloran, said the low levels of compliance in the sector were a concern.

He said the authority would continue to work with Teagasc and other key farming organisations to promote its farm safety code of practice.

“Teagasc has continued to provide training courses on how to use the farm safety code of practice and we would like to see more farmers attending those courses,” he said.

Urging farmers to comply with the legislation and listen to advice from the authority, Teagasc and the other farming organisations, Mr O’Halloran said farmers must put their safety, health and well-being at the heart of all they do.

A seminar on farm injury prevention and agri-wellness organised by the authority and Teagasc followed the action plan launch. The seminar was told that Teagasc and the authority had agreed to jointly fund a Walsh Fellowship to study approaches to improving the occupational health profile of farmers, with an emphasis on reducing the high level of spinal injuries among farmers.

Teagasc director of operations Tom Collins said the Walsh Fellowship would be conducted at UCD in the School of Physiotherapy and Performance Science.

Teagasc health and safety officer John McNamara said the fact a mere 5% of farmers sought health and safety advice was a factor limiting progress with implementa-tion of on-farm controls.