Your farm safety measures up to scratch’

on farms — 24 of those were children.

Quad bikes

Almost 50pc of the fatal accidents involved farm machinery, and quad bikes accounted for 15pc of those fatalities.

“Farmers have become so reliant on quads and they are on them 12 hours a day, so sadly there is always the risk of having an accident if safety procedures are not in place,” commented John Cullen of Quadventure.

Set up 20 years ago as a diversification from farming, it is now a hugely successful family-run business in the south-east.

It specialises not only the fun aspect of quad bikes, but also safety training for the public and private sectors.

“Getting farmers to wear helmets is one of the biggest stumbling blocks,” he said, “as they are not a legal requirement.”

“We also like to stress the importance of safety checks every time before the quad is used. This includes oil checks and tyre pressure, but most importantly brakes. If these fail, an accident is very likely.”

During the demonstration Mr Cullen also outlined the importance of shifting a person’s weight according to the direction of the quad.

He emphasised this was also important when going up and down hills.

“Another area of concern is when towing a trailer. Each quad has a different towing capacity, so people must bear this in mind.

“A lot of farmers are also using quads to carry spray- ers and this can be lethal when the weight shifts. They can easily cause a quad to overturn,” he said.

In recent weeks a new organisation, Awareness Head to Toe, was launched in Co Wexford in a bid to further promote mental health, general health, and farm safety awareness.

The organisation’s first event, a farm safety and mental health open day, takes place on Leslie Dixon’s farm in Moneylawn, Gorey, Co Wexford on Saturday, September 30, from 11am-4pm.