Farm sector deaths higher than any other industry

The farming sector saw more work-related deaths than any other industry in 2018.

Despite accounting for just 6% of the country’s workforce, agriculture, forestry and fishing saw 41% of work-related deaths last year, according to statistics released by the Health and Safety Authority (HSA).

The HSA figures show that the number of people killed in work-related accidents was at its lowest ever in 2018. There were 37 such deaths last year, a decline of 23% on 2017 and the lowest figure since the establishment of the HSA in 1989.

The previous lowest rate on record was 43 deaths in 2009. The fatal accident rate of deaths is now 1.6 per 100,000 workers.

The HSA said 15 people in the farming sector died in work-related accidents.

Construction and transportation and storage were the next highest, with five each. There were also four deaths recorded in the fishing and aquaculture sector, and two each in manufacturing, water supply and waste management, and arts and entertainment.

Dublin saw the most work-related deaths of any county, with five. Cork, Galway and Mayo all saw four deaths, with three recorded in Kerry.

Dr Sharon McGuinness, CEO of the HSA, said that despite the decrease from 2017 to 2018, there is still work to be done in many sectors.

“The fatality rate of 1.6 deaths per 100,000 workers is particularly significant given it was as high as 6.4 per 100,000 workers in the early 1990s.

“Due to the efforts of employers, employees and key stakeholders, there has been a huge improvement in health and safety standards since then. However, with 37 people losing their lives in work-related activity in 2018 there is clearly still more to be done,” she said.

“Although farming has also seen a very strong improvement in 2018, 15 fatalities, which represents 41% of total fatalities, is still far too many for a sector that employs just 6% of the workforce.

“The next highest sector is construction with five deaths in 2018 (14% of the total) so both sectors will remain a key priority in 2019.”

Dr McGuinness said the economy was thriving, with thousands of new workers joining the workforce each month.

“There are challenges ahead such as Brexit and also the fact that many employers are facing a skills shortage in certain sectors,” she said. “In this context, it is important that worker health and safety stays on the priority list. Safe and healthy employees are the backbone of any successful enterprise.”