Farm Safety

0:00Looking at farm safety and with farm vehicle incidents still the leading cause of fatalities in agriculture, a new safety campaign is getting underway nationwide. The health and safety authority has commenced a national farm safety inspection campaign which is focusing honing in on the safe use of tractors machinery, quad bikes and other work vehicles on farms. Vehicle-related incidents continue to be the leading cause of work related fatalities within the sector and joining us now to talk about safety on the ground here in Claire. The Claire County Chair of the IFA, Fiegel-Farmer Stephen Walsh and the Farmer Formal Collehan's Mills and Secretary of Claire ICSA Martin McMahon and Stephen Martin. Thanks for being with us on this morning's show and Stephen the HSA launching this national inspection campaign. How significant is it for farmers in Claire? Are we any different in terms of our farming community being susceptible to these farm vehicle incidents? And not really, you know, I mean over the last since 2015 to 2014 there's been 171 deaths

1:04in farming fatalities on farms. As you said, around 40% of them are basically quads and bikes on that and again 21% was from livestock but another issue is again the age of farmers. I mean 91 of those farmers were at 65 years in order. So I mean, it's possibly one of the most dangerous occupations to be asked and so that's why obviously we have this this highlighting in this week and the question really is before you for every cask on the farm you need to ask yourself is there a safer way of doing it and you know simple things like spread and slurry if possible have somebody with you because you know a gasses on that livestock look if the cow is dangerous if you have in the proper facilities maybe just leave it alone until someone else is there to assist your or help with you and basic things like that might be of help.

2:06Yeah and Martin is this are you glad to see this campaign being launched vehicle related incidents on farms? You know we talk about tractors machinery quad bikes. What are the most common risks you see on farms day to day and perhaps have even maybe even experienced yourself? Well I suppose this time of the year it's probably one of the busiest times on unfair because you have the animals are under offer pressure and we're in the middle of cabin season and they're all late nights they're watching cabin cameras and they're getting extremely tired they're under pressure even and we'll say there are young families and trying to get children out to school and watch cows cabin and they're getting very little sleep and I suppose if you if you have tired you're in time to overlook certain things and I suppose as I say it's probably one of the busiest times possible on the farm and I suppose you should have one thing about the cow cabin never

3:09turn your back on the the cow districts after cabin especially because she can get very aggressive after cabin and I suppose to watch out for that is and to have the proper handling facilities such as proper cabin gates and have made sure that you can you don't have to go in that you can put a gate across over to keep the cow back while you're moving the calf into a strawberry or whatever unless you have already in the strawberry when you care so there's a there's a lot of different things and different facilities that can be new facilities that can be put into make it safe and I think that's crucial and so important because Steven has said there that's been a lot of farm debts and we don't want to see those especially when you see families so obsessed by a fair a accident and the the problems that cause us on a farm yeah and indeed yeah we have we have

4:10discussed debts on farms in the past and it is clear the devastation it causes for the respect of families and and Steven you know even Martin talking there about cabin season and farmers being tired and up late keeping an eye on on their their livestock I mean I'm sure that that can lead to small mistakes or oversights if you're tired and particularly you know you're working in the evenings or in the dark those kind of things can can lead to serious accidents no absolutely I mean you know as you said we kind of kind of highlight the danger with cabin cows and you know how dangerous it is and you say especially you know a lot of that happens during the night and obviously you know it all leads to you know taking risks that I suppose in one sense obviously you want a positive outcome for my cabin because you know the moment that a cabin is a very expensive animal so you know you want to give it the best chance in life but you know it's don't go to have an expensive cabin if you're not around there to

5:14are your family are you not around there for your family you know in to take advantage of of those better prices so again it's it's about number one you have to look after yourself number two look after the animals so and again obviously files from heights while some step ladders all of those things you know and you know don't let your jobs around I know we'll hopefully work on past the first years but you know clips you know breaking bones all of those things that up so it's about trying to maybe taking that little bit of time to assess a job before before you start and hopefully you know you'll have a better chance of not having an accident both again I'd like Martin to highlight it there again you know if you're tired you don't make proper decisions so that's something to be conscious of and be aware of and it should be conscious and aware of it Martin but with the best will in the world and you know the HSA says most of these incidents are preventable but in 2026 and we know from speaking to you and others

6:17within the sector over the past number of years it's more and more difficult to be a farmer and you know as Stephen rightly says you know in certain situations maybe spread and slurry or whatever it might be make sure you have a bit of help but farmers may have less support on farms than they would have in the past less farm hands and find themselves in situations where they're having to do more of this work by themselves even if they don't want to yeah that's that's a huge problem nearly albums and farms gone back years ago when I remember step to know farm and there was always maybe two people or three people on the farm and there was nearly always two people either with the cabin or the cow or which whether it was spreading the story there was nearly always two people around the farm and that made it very safe that's not available anymore it's extremely hard to get help even to get somebody to help out on a farm just the people are not just available and that's what puts the all that pressure on the farmers on the farmer. I suppose carrying you a charge more by phone I'm until now it's crucial and I'll start to

7:22let the family know where the farmer is going and when he's expected back so if he's not back at the expected time that they can bring him and see that he's okay because we all know how crucial it is that if somebody does get hot that somebody gets to him and maybe take the cold itself to attack him away from him or whatever and get the person to say if it is these are the important issues you know just if you if you get to the person on time you can you can prevent maybe it's a serious accident to happen. Yeah of course with machinery machinery as well it's so important that machinery is right such as the tractor lights, steers and brakes all these things are working properly and PTO chefs we can stress and know how important the carbon on the PTO chef is is going to be because when the farmers on the pressure trying to get out throwing these things if you overlook something like that that can be actually the cars are either a very serious accident which is a loss of blame are actually the date of the farmer so

8:27those simple things even though they might seem simple they're so important to prevent accidents and valves. Yeah some key advice there from Martin Steven and you know making sure the technology the equipment is fully functional and safe isn't is key but how important is proper training when it comes to operating machinery and quad bikes? Absolutely I mean there is training there obviously for quad bikes and you know you know it's past the line of you need to get this done if you're on a quad bike but also I suppose if we only jotted down all the near misses we had you know the times we slipped without doing any damage the time that the cow nearly got you the time you slipped off the step of the tractor and if you made a list of all of that and then took action of well making sure it didn't happen you a second time where you may not be as lucky and again another issue I want to raise is in terms of air codes a lot of farm yards are away from the house are you know out farms and they don't have an air code so I think it'd be very

9:30important if we could get air codes for those farms that if you were misfortuneers to have an accident that you could identify exactly where you were so I think you know little things like that would probably be useful and helpful going forward and look if I'd say their life. The HSA is urging farmers to plan work in advance and complete risk assessments I'm just wondering though Martin I mean do you think about some of the jobs you do in a daily basis on your farm I mean how practical is working in advance and planning in advance and completing risk assessments in a busy working environment is that possible. You can have the greatest trends in the world and everything can change there might be no code to cab and the next thing is you are planning to do fertilizer or whatever and the next thing is maybe there's two colors to cab so your your whole plan is changed you have to wait there and look after those cows and see that they're all right see that the calf silks and all that and that's why the facilities are so important especially the cow after the cabin if she is aggressive that you have the crush

10:35and the cabin gets and the facilities to tie in the cow without being as risk yourself and able to let the put the calf suck on with the cow in the safe environment I think that that is crucial especially if to the cow after the cabin it's very important and another another thing yeah it's very hard to plan because you can have the best plans of the world and they can be they can have to change that's why a farmer you can never tell what he's doing from one day to the other because he has to change his plans as that as they arise the other thing is the quad bike under quad bikes now there is an actual roll valve that is available to be pushed on a quad bike because in a lot of the cases what happens is the quad bike is used for helden and gonopiri ground and if it over totems that's when the theory's accident happens now there is a roll valve so that if it does turn over it won't come down on top of the farm and I think that every quad bike should have one of those because they're one of the most lethal machines that's on the farm and I think that that's very important I'm glad that it is available because it wasn't available

11:38before and I think and the other thing is when you're going to have them capture I think to bring the Jeep which you're into the field is very important because in some cases there might be a bull that could get aggressive when he sees the farmer going around walking check and he's got to and I think if he has the Jeep to get into he could be actually saving him as well so there's just a little measures and impact on things and the mobile phone that can be of a huge benefit to a farmer when he's out don't he's he's working his well Steven farm inspections clearly important and done for the right reasons but how do farmers and you you know included in that generally feel about inspections are are they are they seeing a supportive or are they more viewed as as intrusive well look like any inspection I suppose yes they are intrusive you know we understand that in most instances they're done for the right reasons you know they're done there you know obviously in terms of the safety aspect of it you know to highlight to you

12:40but you know who wants to be really inspectors you know it's you know it's something we don't actually enjoy doing but but it's necessary absolutely necessary in terms of maybe pointing out some of the stuff that we take for granted and pointing out you know some of the risks that are there so you know from a farm safety point of view yeah obviously it's necessary and you know in the practicality of doing that we are taking risks it is part of farming but you know as you say if if you don't value your own life we don't take up but you know if you don't look at all the possibilities and and options that you know could harm you you know what as I say if you're not there you know how the farm going to survive without you you know are are your family yeah well look it's clear that this health and safety authority national farm safety inspection campaign is needed and it is very important and we thank both of you for joining us this morning

13:44and hopefully those like you in the farming community in care will always stay as safe as is possible my thanks there to Stephen Walsh the Clara County chair of the IFA and farmer in fecal and his counterpart and o'calons Mills Martin McMahon who is also secretary of the Clara I.C. SA