Farms enter season of high risk

Farmers, road users, and machinery contractors are being urged to take extra care on the roads and in the fields and farmyards as silage cutting season continues and the school holidays begin.

Over the last 10 years, more than half (51%) of all fatal farm injuries involved vehicles (30%) and machinery (21%).

The Road Safety Authority and the Irish Farmers’ Association have issued a joint appeal for vigilance as the number of tractors, trailers and farm machinery increases on and off the roads.

Farmyards are work places, especially at this time of the year, have higher the usual dangers, especially if there are children about.

Motorists are also urged to be on the lookout for tractors, trailers and other agricultural machinery exiting from fields and farmyards on to public roads.

They are being specifically advised to expect the unexpected, as danger could literally be around the next corner.

Appealing to everybody to be safety conscious during this busy period, IFA president Joe Healy said all can safely share the roads If everyone co-operates.

“I would ask drivers of machinery to watch for traffic building up to the rear and to keep left if an opportunity arises to let traffic pass safely.

“For other road users, I would ask them to be patient and do not attempt to overtake unless it is safe to do so,” he said.

RSA director of road safety research and driver education Michael Rowland said there are more tractors and trailers out using the roads, which means the risk of a collision involving a road user and farm machinery has increased.

Drivers of agricultural vehicles are being reminded that they are subject to all road traffic legislation.

They are required to carry the appropriate licence. Farm vehicles are required to be taxed, insured and must be roadworthy, including fully operational lights front and rear.

The Health and SafHSA and the Irish Primary Principals Network (IPPN) have also issued a joint appeal to primary schools to promote a strong farm safety message to children before they break for the summer.

Farm accidents have claimed the lives of 21 children in the last decade and account for 10% of all farm fatalities over the period.

The HSA said farms remain the only workplace in Ireland where children still continue to die.

Farm deaths involving children are always a terrible tragedy for families and heartbreaking for communities and schools alike.

“Summer holidays are a high risk time for children who are off school and spend a lot of time on their family farm or visiting friends’ and relatives’ farms. It is also a very busy time for farmers when much work needs to be done,” it said.

Joanne Harmon, HSA Business and Education Support Manager, said schools can make a real difference by empowering children to raising their own awareness of farm hazards and encouraging them to bring the safety message home to parents and grandparents.

Primary schoolchildren from around the country have recently attended a series of Health and Safety Authority ‘Keep Safe’ events.

HSA inspector Brian Molloy said if children learn how to develop a safety mindset early, they are better able to cope with all kinds of hazards and risks in life.

The Association of Farm and Forestry Contractors in Ireland has also published a safety factsheet for contractors and farmers for the 2019 harvest so that they can work together to keep everyone on the farm healthy and safe during the silage season.

It said it believes that farmers and contractors must work together to meet their overlapping duties every time a contractor comes on farm.

Having a face-to-face or over the phone meeting before work starts can help them to reach a common understanding and establish clear roles, responsibilities, and actions.

It will also prevent any gaps in managing health and safety risks.

Meanwhile, the HSA has clear guidelines to ensure the safety of children on farms. The main causes of child fatal accidents are tractors/machinery and drowning.

On average, two or three children were killed per year in farm accidents between 2006 and 2015.

The HSA says adults have a huge responsibility to make sure the risks posed to children on a farm are assessed and controls put in place to prevent death and injury.

IFA’s Farm Family and Social Affairs chairwoman, Caroline Farrell, said that farmers work long hours, particularly at this time of year.

“This can take its toll on physical and mental health. Farmers need to prioritise their own health and take time to recharge their batteries,” she said.

Ms Farrell said the main causes of farmers’ ill health are associated with manual handling, lung problems, infections, and noise.

Some 50% of farmers with occupational ill health suffer from chronic back pain.

She said farmers need to achieve a better balance between work, outside interests, and time spent with family and friends.

By taking better care of themselves, their farm business can only benefit.

“Farming is one of the most physically and mentally demanding jobs,” said Ms Farrell.

“It is so important that farmers maintain and enhance their physical health and mental wellbeing.”

Embrace Farm has also announced that it will hold its sixth annual national ecumenical Remembrance Service on Sunday, June 30, in the church of The Most Holy Rosary, Abbeyleix at 2pm.

The Service began in 2014 following the tragic loss of Brian Rohan’s father Liam on their family farm the year before.

Brian and his wife Norma felt the need to hold a national service where families, friends, and neighbours that had lost someone close to them in a farming accident could remember them in a compassionate and simple way.