National Seminar on Occupational Health and Safety on “Agriculture in the West”

County Hotel, Ennis on Wednesday, 13 ^th July 2005

I welcome the opportunity to address this seminar and I would like to thank FBD, Teagasc and the Health and Safety Authority for organising it. These types of seminars are very useful and certainly the quality of the speakers on the programme will make today’s seminar a very interesting and informative one. I especially welcome the involvement of international experts. It is important that we draw on international experience and develop best practice when it comes to farm safety.

The farm is unique in terms of its dual role as a workplace and a home. It is different from nearly every other workplace and its work activities tend to impact directly on children, elderly relatives and visitors. As the programme for this event states – the agriculture sector in Ireland has a poor safety record. About one third of workplace deaths take place on farms while only 6.5% of the workforce is employed in the sector.

The last decade has seen over 50 children have been killed in farm accidents. The main causes were being crushed by tractors and tractor-drawn machinery and contact with other agricultural machinery

Supervision is key and ensuring that children have designated, controlled play areas, that they are given age-specific training about hazards on the farm and children under 14 should never drive a tractor or ride in a tractor without the proper safety regulations being enforced.

We have also recently expressed increasing concern for elderly on farms. 50% of all fatalities on farms last year involved people over the age of 65.

I recently signed the commencement order for the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act, 2005 and the Act will come into operation on 1^st September 2005. This Act is a significant step forward and creates a new and dynamic environment for health and safety. As we were working on producing this Act, the issue of health and safety on our farms was often to the forefront because of the unfortunate record of safety in the sector. We recognise the need to reduce bureaucracy and assist people in really taking responsibility for their health and safety. Taking this further, one of the key provisions of the Act will remove the requirement on an employer with 3 or fewer employees to have an up-to-date safety statement if the farmer complies with a code of practice that will be developed by the Health and Safety Authority. This will be done on a consultative basis and I have asked the Health and Safety Authority to begin a consultation process with interested parties as a matter of urgency with a view to preparing a code of practice within a few months that will specifically help farmers.

This is a significant step forward and clearly shows that we have listened to the concerns of those who felt that the requirements in relation to safety statements were excessive for small businesses and farms. It is also significant because of the bad record in regard to the existence of safety statements on farms – Health and Safety Authority inspections have shown that only 30% of farmers have safety statements despite the dangers on farms.

Another relevant change included in the Act is the introduction of on the spot fines where breaches are observed. While the Authority has made no policy decision on the use of such measures in enforcing the legislation, they see that such fines might be appropriate where inspectors observe serious risks to safety such as those associated with unfenced over-ground slurry pits and unguarded machinery. The Health and Safety Authority will begin a consultation process on this shortly and will then announce details.

However, now that we have listened to farmers and will be significantly reducing the paperwork requirements that they had often complained about, we will expect much higher levels of compliance. The farmer needs to take responsibility for preventing accidents. Safety is in yours and your families’ interests and should be your top priority. It is imperative that all farmers acknowledge that their occupation is a hazardous one and that farming carries specific risks to themselves, their workers and their families and farmers must take all the necessary steps to minimise the risks. Farmers are well aware of the machines and work activities which give rise to fatal accidents on the farm. The majority of these accidents are foreseeable and usually preventable. Nevertheless, statistics show that the same type of accidents re-occur each year on Irish farms.

Sadly the number of fatal accidents on farms continues with 14 people dying last year, and 9 to date this year. Agriculture is now the worst sector despite having one of the fewest numbers employed. These frightening statistics speak for themselves and behind these figures lies the terrible human tragedy and unimaginable suffering.

Unfortunately, too many farmers rely on good luck rather than good safety management to prevent accidents. Experience tells us that good luck cannot be relied on. It is time for good safety management.

I believe that a multidisciplinary approach is required to improve health and safety in the farming sector. It is for this reason that I am pleased with the work of Farm Safety Partnership, an advisory committee to the Authority, which represents the major farming agencies which have a shared commitment to farm safety. I think initiatives like this today which involves many of the key stakeholders in the Farm Safety Partnership such as Teagasc and FBD, will greatly assist in getting the message across to all within the farming industry.

In conclusion, I would just like to re-iterate that we have now made some major changes to legislation to reduce bureaucracy and assist farmers with health and safety. However, farmers need to respond to this initiative and work with us to ensure that the appalling history of fatalities and injuries on Irish farms does not continue and that we can bring about a new and more positive safety record on our farms.

ENDS

LA 129