Ireland’s minister for agriculture, food and the marine, Simon Coveney TD, has called on the health and safety of farm workers to be addressed through more international cooperation and sharing of knowledge.
Speaking at a three-day meeting in August on agricultural occupational health and safety – which was organised by the Irish Health and Safety Authority (HSA) and Irish Agriculture and Food Development Authority, Teagasc – the minister said health and safety could be improved by measuring against other countries and striving to meet the high standards set by the top achievers.
He told delegates from nine countries – including the UK, Nordic countries, USA, Germany and Italy – that, judging by the number of nations represented at the meeting, “improving safety and health in agriculture is a challenge of international scale and importance”.
He went on: “Here, in Ireland, we have introduced important initiatives to reduce accidents and improve standards, but with 16 deaths on farms already this year, we still have high numbers of fatal accidents. I commend the organisers of this meeting, the HSA and Teagasc, as I believe that we should share knowledge and experience with, and learn from other, jurisdictions on a regular basis, with the goal of improving safety performance.”
Attendees heard that last year there were 567 fatalities on farms across Europe. Most health and safety incidents were the result of contact with farm machinery, or livestock.
Findings from a range of studies were also presented, including Irish research into how the design and movement of cattle through handling facilities affects the mood of the animal and could therefore help reduce risk. A Swedish study also suggested that injuries sustained from cattle are the most costly and result in more time off work compared with other injuries.
Other speakers at the event included the HSA’s chief executive, Martin O’Halloran, who outlined the major challenge in Ireland as changing the culture to a strong ‘safety first’ mindset.
He said: “Our farm safety visits and prevention activities are very much geared towards influencing a positive change in attitudes. This year, our 3000 farm safety visits are focusing on the main danger areas: tractors and machinery, and working with livestock. We are also prioritising efforts aimed at children and the elderly on farms, both of whom are particularly vulnerable.”
Professor Gerry Boyle, director of Teagasc, added: “The Teagasc health and safety programme is aimed at reducing the level of deaths and injuries, ill health and disability on farms. The single greatest ingredient to the success of this programme is farmer engagement with the issue of health and safety. I strongly urge all farmers to positively engage with Teagasc advisors, HSA inspectors and all farm organisations to make Irish farms among the safest in the world.”
As an outcome of the international meeting, delegates committed themselves to the continuation of the sharing of knowledge and expertise in occupational health and safety in agriculture. They also called for greater focus internationally on the specific behavioural issues that lead to high rates of serious injury and death in farming.
