‘Make farmyards no-go zones for children and the elderly’ – HSA

Four fatalities in seven days raises fears of further deaths as farmers enter peak working season

BUSY farmyards need to become ‘nogo zones’ for children and the elderly, the Health and Safety Authority has warned after four farming-related fatalities in the last week.

The farming community is reeling after one of the deadliest weeks in years on Irish farms.

And fears are growing that the death toll on farms will continue to rise due to the higher number of people, particularly children, on farms during the Covid-19 restrictions.

“It’s a long time since we have had such a bad cluster,” said Pat Griffin, senior inspector with the HSA.

More safety training for farmers needs to become an urgent priority, he said: “Too many farmers have had no training in the machinery they are using – machinery that is large, complex and deadly.”

He also added that farmyards are not places for children and older people when there is working going on. “It’s a no-go zone,” he told the Farming Independent.

“The critical factor is that children and elderly should not be there when machinery is working.”

Teagasc health and safety apecialist

John McNamara described the rise in farm deaths during May so far as “alarming”.

“Everyone in the farming community needs to give safety first priority to prevent further tragedy,” he said.

Mr McNamara said the safety of children on farms needs particular attention.

Last weekend an 18-year-old man died following an accident in a farmyard near Slane, Co Meath. Gardaí said the youth was carrying out works to a vehicle when he sustained serious injuries. It was the fourth farm-related fatality in seven days.

On Tuesday, Clare Smyth (35) and her daughter Bethany were killed instantly when their quad collided with a tractor in Ballycastle, Co Antrim.

Last Wednesday, 10-year-old Louise Colhoun died after she was hit by a tractor on the family farm in Co Donegal.

Meanwhile, drivers of farming machinery are being urged to cut back on their speed.

“We should all expect the unexpected — we have learned already this year, whether on the farm or on the road there is no place for complacency,” the IFA and Road Safety Authority said in a joint appeal.