Health and Safety Warning for Farmers
In Northern Ireland, a farmer was killed every month during 2011.
Northern Ireland is experiencing high volumes of deaths related to farming. A warning from the HSE has been issued regarding health and safety. The warning is asking that farmers be more aware of the risks they face while working around heavy equipment such as tractors. During February and March there will be a high number of health and safety audits on farms so that the HSE can speak with the workers and their families regarding dangers.
The average age of the farmers killed was 57. The four main reasons for farm deaths were unguarded machines, falls when working at heights, slurry tank issues, and handling livestock. The HSE is also working with the Ulster Farmers Union as a means to get the word out about the dangerous situations.
Farmers have to work with dangerous equipment on a daily basis. It means they need to be very careful each day. They need to have a heightened awareness of the safety issues. In order to lower the numbers of deaths on farms, it is also necessary to provide better training. Farm owners who hire outside workers need to ensure their workers are aware of the equipment and the dangers. This will also help lower the deaths. There are plenty of ways to gain information about health and safety on farms. Workers just need to be pointed in the right direction and owners have to keep updating workers.
