Farm Safety

The Health and Safety Authority (HSA) revealed that farmers are eight times more likely to get seriously injured in a workplace-related accident than the general working population. A reported 21 people lost their lives in farm accidents in 2016.   These statistics are a reminder of the dangers on farms.

Machinery and Tractors

The HSA has published ‘Guidance on the Safe Use of Tractors and Machinery on Farms’. It states that; all machinery should be checked regularly to ensure mechanically soundness. Keep a safe distance from machinery while it is operating. Loaders and diggers are especially vulnerable to overhead power lines. If you are planning to excavate, check site maps and call the power and gas supplier to make sure that there are no underground pipes and cables.

Safety Clothing

It is always a good idea to wear high-visibility jackets so that everyone in the farmyard has a better chance of seeing each other. Suitable clothing and boots are a must and protective clothing (helmets, goggles, gloves and steel capped boots) should be used as required. 

Children and Farm Safety

A farm is a wonderful place for any child to be reared but the farmyard is full of potential hazards and children should always be supervised by an adult.  Accidents happen but the risks can be minimised.
Set clear ground rules with your children and don’t deviate from them.

• Keep children at a safe distance from livestock and supervise when they are feeding animals.  
• Keep all pesticides, cleaning fluids, veterinary medicines and equipment in their original containers and in a securely locked store. 
• Keep children from climbing ladders and on stacked bales. Heavy swinging gates can also cause serious injury. 
• Teach children about the dangers on the farm.
• Slurry facilities, wells and tanks should always be securely covered.
• Children should be taught to respect the potential dangers of livestock.

Bales

Silage bales should be stacked on a level and well-drained area, no more than three bales high.   Bales should be securely loaded and kept as low as possible when transporting. Never overload or allow bales to overhang the trailer. It is the responsibility of the farmer or contractor, who is driving a tractor with a trailer transporting bales, to ensure that they are compliant with the national weight and dimension limits.

 

Charlotte Rosemond, Acting Communications Officer, WUC.