Farmers urged to play their part in reducing fatal accidents on farms

FARMERS have been urged to take extra care with machinery and other activities as they enter a traditional busy period.

The plea for increased vigilance was made against a background of rising concern about a surge in the number of farming related fatal accidents.

Eight people have died in accidents in the sector so far this year compared with 11 for all of 2009.

The rate of fatalities per 100,000 in the agriculture, forestry and fishery areas is three times that in construction and six times greater than the average across all sectors.

Labour Affairs Minister Dara Calleary, who is responsible for national policy on occupational health and safety, and Agriculture Minister Brendan Smith, recently outlined their concern and alarm at the level of deaths in farm-related accidents.

They met with farming and insurance interests and asked for a plan of action to supplement the work being done by the Health and Safety Authority on farm safety.

Mr Calleary said at present there is too much tragic loss of life and serious injury occurring on Irish farms. The whole culture in relation to farm safety needs to be changed.

He said that he had asked the farm organisations in particular to use their collective expertise to start a campaign to change the culture in relation to farm safety.

“I want them to put the same effort into that campaign as they have done into so many other successful campaigns.

“I believe that a campaign, with the weight of all farm interests behind it, can save lives and prevent serious injury on farms.”

Mr Calleary asked the organisations to co-ordinate their efforts and come back to him with their plans in four weeks.

Macra na Feirme president Michael Gowing has again appealed to all farmers to place greater emphasis on farm safety during the coming weeks and months, a period traditionally associated with increased activity on the land.

‘While there has been much publicity about the need to improve farm safety, the behaviour of farmers is not changing sufficiently to make farms safer places to work and live,” he said.