Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU) president William Irvine is encouraging farmers to review safety measures on their farm and work out what can be done to improve it this Farm Safety Week.
“For example, signage regarding slurry pits, high-powered equipment and livestock can make a huge difference and can help to keep you and farm workers safe all year round,” he said.
“By doing this, you are not only actively working to keep yourself safe, but you are also protecting the farm business and most importantly your family, from the devastating experience of losing a loved one.”
The 11th annual Farm Safety Week, an initiative by the Farm Safety Foundation involving organisations across the UK and Ireland, kicks off today (Monday, July 17) with the theme ‘Farm Safety Starts with Me’.
Common excuses like ‘I’ve always done it that way’ and ‘I’m in a hurry’ are “not good enough reasons for risk-taking, poor maintenance of equipment or unsafe working”, Stephanie Berkeley from the Farm Safety Foundation, said.
“While we are seeing more people calling out poor practices and sharing their experiences there seems to be a broad acceptance that this is just how it is in farming?” she added.
Berkeley reminds that the agriculture mortality rates remain “stubbornly high”; 21 people were killed in work-related incidents in the agriculture, forestry and fishing industry in Great Britain last year.
According to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), this is “markedly higher than the average across all industries”.
Camilla Mackey, HSE Northern Ireland’s principal inspector of the agri-food team, added: “I am appealing to the farming community to consider the risks they face, and, put proper precautions in place to ensure tasks are carried out safely. It could just save your life.”
Farm Safety Week
The National Farmers’ Union (NFU) over the week this year is encouraging farmers to “take five to stay alive”, with the idea that taking five minutes before a tasks allows time to evaluate the task at hand and implement ways to make the task safer.
It also encourages regular breaks to prevent physical or mental burnout. NFU is encouraging farmers to share the ways that they stay safe on the farm on social media using the hashtag #Take5StayAlive.
The “heartbreaking thing” about most farm accidents, UFU president Irvine said, “is that they could have been prevented”.
“Working on a farm creates risk every day and we need to be constantly aware and reminded of that to create a safer working environment and habits,” William Irvine said.
“All of us are guilty of thinking ‘it will never happen to me’. But, as Farm Safety Week has shown in the past, and will do again this year, a farm accident can happen to anyone in a spilt second, changing lives forever.”
