HSA Code of Practice on telescopic telehandlers 'over the top', ICMSA says

Since September last year, farmers and farm staff have been required to complete telescopic telehandler training to comply with the HSA Code of Practice

ICMSA says the majority of farmers are unaware of the training farmers must complete to operate telescopic telehandlers. File picture

The HSA Code of Practice requires farmers to undergo training to operate telescopic telehandlers.

The Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association (ICMSA) said the vast majority of farmers are unaware of this requirement, which was issued by the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) and came into operation in September last year.

Chairperson of ICMSA’s Farm Business Committee, Pat O’Brien, described the requirements for training in specific work situations as “way over the top” and he called on the HSA to review the code’s training duration and cost and come back with something that recognises the ‘Real World’ in which farmers live.

“The first concern is that farmers are not even aware that the Code of Practice sets out a need for training and the fact that if the farmer or an employee hasn’t completed the required training, they are at the mercy of the judge in the event of a legal case arising,” he said.

Under this specific Code of Practice, farmers and employees using telescopic telehandlers to lift items such as fertiliser bags or bales must have the appropriate training. However, using telehandlers for loose materials like pit silage or gravel is permitted without the same requirement for training.

Tractors are exempt as they are rigid and not telescopic. There are estimated to be around 4,000 telehandlers on farms in Ireland, and Mr O’Brien said farmers remained uncertain about what the differing requirements were in differing circumstances.

“The second big issue is the length and cost of the training, with the proposed course taking up to five days, with three days at a minimum,” Mr O’Brien continued.

“The course itself could cost €1,000, and when you include wages and PRSI, you could be paying €2,000 for an employee to complete it. That is ridiculous; it will do nothing for farm safety, and it’s going to cost €4 million when you take 4,000 telehandlers across Irish farms and assuming only one person gets trained,” he said.

ICMSA said they made it clear to the HSA that a more practical collaborative approach is needed that would include ‘on farm’ demonstration days that would allow farmers to avoid costly and time-consuming courses that must be considered doubtful in terms of practical improvements to farm safety.

“If we really want to make farms safer, then we should be focused on providing training that is both time and cost-efficient. People won’t do it otherwise; that’s the reality. The length of the training acts as a deterrent for participation, and there needs to be allowances or ‘credits’ made for experienced operators, too.

Everybody wants safer farms, but the approach being adopted on telehandlers is ridiculous and so ‘over the top’ that it puts people off engaging at all. The HSA has to start living in the real world where farmers are and must come back with a more practical and commonsense option”, concluded Mr O’Brien.