Tipperary farmers get simple tips to reduce the risk of an accident in 2019

There have been 17 fatal farm accidents to date in 2018, down from 25 in 2017, and three of these lives were lost on Tipperary farms.

Farm accidents have risen by 31 per cent in last 10 years; 11 per cent of farms reported an accident causing injury in the five-year period 2012-2017

Here are a few tips from Pat Griffin, senior inspector with the Health and Safety Authority, who FRS works closely each year in the strive to improve the safety on farms.

Pat believes that making small changes to the everyday farming routine can make a big difference.

Pat says: “When it comes to farm-related accidents, we always hear about the dreadful fatalities in the press. What we don’t hear about is the 3,000 non-fatal accidents that happen on farms annually. These accidents are non-fatal but they can be very serious and often life-changing both for the individual and the extended family. Sadly, there are farmers confined to wheelchairs for life or who have suffered loss of limbs, due to these life changing accidents.”

Pat attributes many of these non fatal accident to farmers rushing around because adequate time is not given to planning out the working day.

“This is where planning comes in. Consider the coming day’s work, preferably the night before or at least early in the morning. Identify the critical work that must to be done. Don’t put this critical necessary work on the long finger. You don’t want to be in a situation where you are running around at the end of the day trying to complete it.

As part of the planning you should identify work where you may need an extra pair of hands to help out. It might be a case of asking a neighbour or someone competent to help for the two person task,” said Pat. “If you are struggling long-term to get all the work done in the day maybe it’s time to look at getting more regular labour for the farm, even if it’s on a part-time basis.”

Pat said “It is important to invest in yourself because you are the most important asset to the farm. Many farmers have in recent years invested significantly in the farm whether it’s in tractors, machinery, buildings or livestock, but fail to invest anything in themselves.

“Too many farmers have threadbare boots and loose, often torn clothing with a general reluctance to buy better gear. Small investment in good clothing is not just for comfort – it could save your life. Every farmer should have boots and wellingtons with good grips and steels toecaps and soles. Loose clothing is not suitable for a farm because you will be far more prone to getting caught in moving machinery.

“Is there any opportunity to get involved in something outside farming? Could you do a computer course, go swimming, play cards, anything to get away from the farm for a couple of hours?. This will help you to recharge and unwind from the stress of the farm for a few hours every week and may give you a different perspective when you return.

A review of the code of practice must be done in 2019.

Why not review your risk assessment early in 2019 before the farm gets really busy.

Machinery is one area that needs particular attention when carrying out this review. Tractors are the biggest killer, with 64 people killed as a direct consequence of a tractor or other vehicles such as quads and teleporters in the last 10 years, so these really need your full attention. In a lot of cases the tractor rolls from its parked position and traps the operator or passer-by.

Pat said; “The whole mindset around tractors needs to change. Essential checks need to be carried out daily – fuel level, mirrors, brakes, lights, windows, cab floor, etc. By doing these checks before you take off, you can avoid delays further down the road if something goes wrong. By being organised you are less likely to be rushing which has a direct correlation with a possible accident.

At the end of the working day, the tractor should be reverse-parked into its parking spot, avoiding slopes. The idea here is when visibility is poor in the morning you will have a much clearer view driving forward rather than reversing out of the parking position. Clearly, if someone follows you out to tell you something it will be far safer if you are not reversing the tractor with half-misted windows. He also suggests if the parking break or service break is poor they must be fixed as soon as possible”.

FRS Training currently run health and safety courses throughout Ireland. For a list of courses available visit www.frstraining.com or call 1890-201000.