Tom Kitt, Minister for Labour Affairs, has today (Monday 15th February, 1999) expressed alarm and concern at the high number of fatalities which occurred on Irish farms in 1998.

Minister Kitt said that reports to the Health and Safety Authority show that 27 people died in farm accidents last year and that this figure included 6 children under the age of 12. Sadly, in 1999, there have been 2 farm deaths already.

The incidence of fatalities in farming in 1998 represents a massive increase of 80% over the figure for 1997. Minister Kitt said that both he and the Authority are "bitterly disappointed at this increase given the overall improvements that had been achieved in recent years in the farming sector. What the 1998 figures sadly demonstrate is that continuous awareness and vigilance is vital for this sector."

Minister Kitt urged all farmers and farm workers "to treat their work as the high-risk activity that it actually is and to exercise the utmost care and caution in their work practices."

A feature of farming is that, unlike any other work sector, there is a particular and often fatal risk posed to children, especially from their proximity to machinery such as tractors and it is in this context that farmers need to be extra vigilant with children on the farm. Tragically, of the 27 fatal accidents in 1998, 10 were tractor related and 5 of the 6 children who died in farm accidents in 1998 died in tractor and machinery related incidents. Despite farming being a family business, and the farm containing the family residence, it is still a high-risk place of work posing very specific risks to young children. In this context, Minister Kitt "welcomed the action of the Health and Safety Authority in making child safety in farming a priority area of activity for 1999."

In addition, the Authority will continue its general inspection programme with 1,000 inspections planned in farming and forestry operations during 1999.

Minister Kitt also "appealed to everyone in the farming sector to report all accidents, including non-fatal ones, to the Authority. There is a very serious problem of under-reporting in this sector and without a full picture it is more difficult for both the sector itself, and the Authority, to tackle the issue of farm safety."

Minister Kitt emphasised his belief that prevention is the key to addressing the problem of farm accidents. "Farmers themselves have a primary role to play in reducing the number of farm accidents. Farmers must acknowledge that farming is a hazardous occupation, that accidents can happen on their own farm and that an investment in safety measures will reap its own rewards."

Before undertaking any job around the farm it is essential that farmers identify possible causes of accidents and then put in place the necessary precautions or safety measures. In this context, the Minister "urged all farmers who have not done so to draw up a Safety Statement and where such statements exist to keep them under regular review."

The Health and Safety Authority has a wide range of information available to any farmer seeking advice and guidance. The Authority has also worked closely with all of the major farming organisations in their promotional and awareness-raising activities. Minister Kitt encouraged all farmers to seek information from these sources on how best to improve their work practices and so ultimately protect their own lives, the lives of their families, and indeed, their very livelihood and that of their future generations.

In extending his sympathy to all the families who have suffered a bereavement through a farm accident, Minister Kitt said "the human costs of such accidents are enormous, particularly in relation to the death of a child. By working together and making a deliberate and concerted effort we can bring about very real improvements."