New guidelines aimed at cutting the number of deaths and accidents on farms have been published today.
The Health and Safety Authority (HSA) developed the guidelines with the support of farming groups.
Speaking at the National Ploughing Championships in Athy, Co Kildare, Minister for Labour Affairs Dara Calleary said that this year’s statistics so far were a “sharp reminder that the farming community must make safety the top priority”.
Twenty people have died so far this year on Irish farms, making them the most dangerous workplaces in terms of fatalities.
“I was so concerned about the situation that, together with Minister for Agriculture Brendan Smith, I met the key farming interests and the HSA last March to see how we could pool our skills and resources to tackle farm safety,” Mr Calleary said.
He said one of the keys to getting a change in culture was the “engagement of the farming organisations who have a presence in virtually every parish in the country”.
“I am delighted that key figures in the farming community have responded to that call and they are showing the leadership required for long-lasting change.”
HAS chief executive Martin O’Halloran, said his organisation’s focus was on helping farmers to understand and address the key risks and hazards.
“So far this year, roughly half of all farm deaths have involved tractors or machinery and the next most hazardous activity generally tends to be livestock handling.”
The new guidelines include a revised code of practice for child safety on farms, a leaflet on the safe use of tractors, guidance on safety around overhead power lines, and guidance on livestock safety at marts and lairages.
The publications can be downloaded on www.hsa.ie