TODAY MARKS THE first National Farm Safety Awareness Day, with farm families being urged to review safety on farms.
Fourteen lives have been lost to farm accidents so far this year – a 70% increase on this time last year. The Irish Farmers’ Association’s ‘Think Farm Safety Day’ is bill as “an opportunity for farm families to dedicate time to thinking about health and safety on their farms; to identify potential danger areas; and, to consider ways to minimise risks”.
IFA President Eddie Downey said farming is a high-risk occupation, but accidents and injuries can be prevented by taking time and working safely.
“Being tired, distracted and stressed is often a reality on busy farms and every effort must be made to avoid shortcuts.
At the peak of this busy summer season on farms, safety must come first.
“We want farmers to ‘Think Farm Safety’ [today] and to continue to ‘Think Farm Safety’ every day after that, because taking even one risk is taking one risk too many.”
The IFA has launched a dedicated ‘Farm Safety’ section on their website, which provides farm safety videos, booklets, links and information.
This will complement a range of initiatives, including messages in the IFA calendar, text alerts to members and regular updates through the County Executive network.
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