Safety event aims to improve farm behaviour and reduce fatality rate

Poor behaviour in managing vehicles, machinery and farmyard order account for up to 80% of farm deaths, Teagasc has stated.

Teagasc is hosting a practical farm event and a seminar at Kildalton College, Piltown, Co Kilkenny, from 2pm to 5pm today. The event is part of the Health and Safety Authority’s ‘Farm Safety Fortnight’, which continues next week.

Today’s Kildalton event will feature demonstrations on machinery, livestock, buildings and pesticide usage. The causes of Irish farm deaths from 2004-13 were: vehicles (29%); machinery (17%); falls, collapses (18%); livestock (14%); other (22%).