Opening address by Minister for Labour Affairs & Public Service Transformation Dara Calleary TD at Farm Safety Conference 2010

Check Against Delivery

I was very pleased to accept the invitation to address this National Farm Safety Conference. We are fortunate to have such a very impressive range of speakers and relevant topics on this most important and challenging aspect of health and safety.

Over the last number of years, we have introduced a range of codes of practice and other advocacy schemes to address this issue. These have involved both my own Department and the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. However, we have not been getting a significant return on our efforts. The absence of a strong culture of safety in farming is adding to the unacceptable tragedy and misery which is visited on too many rural families.

So far, 2010 has been a bad one for safety on farms. To date (as at 17 August 2010) out of the 29 workplace fatalities reported to the Health and Safety Authority, 13 have occurred directly in agriculture. This figure rises to 17 if you include fatalities that occurred on farms but not directly in the agriculture sector.

When it became clear that we had a bad start to the year regarding farm safety, I called together a range of farming interests in March to emphasise our shared responsibilities in this area and the need for key stakeholders to step up to the mark. I asked for - and received - commitment and leadership from key stakeholders to address the challenge of farm safety. I want to commend those who represent farmers and related activities for this commitment.

I also acknowledge the efforts of the Health and Safety Authority which has undertaken an intensive inspection campaign. Unfortunately the fatality figures are still climbing. It is clear that changing the culture around safety on farms is going to be a big challenge.

As I mentioned, the statistics make very stark reading. Almost six out of every 10 workplace fatalities are farming related so far this year. This is in a sector which makes up only 6pc of the workforce (circa 115,000) – although potentially up to 500,000 persons are exposed to risk when family members are included. Any objective observer would rightly conclude that there is something fundamentally amiss.

It is regrettable that in agriculture the "safety first" message appears to be taking longer to sink in. We all know attitudes take time to change. Perhaps because of the relatively solitary nature of farming in Ireland farmers are more likely to take risks with their personal safety. Indeed I am concerned to note that in the agriculture sector, it is not just safety that appears to be neglected. A study conducted at the National University of Ireland, Galway shows that male farmers have a poor health profile: only 35pc had an annual blood pressure check, only 29pc took regular exercise and only 26pc protected their skin from the sun.

General occupational health has a significant impact in farming because matters such as musculoskeletal diseases (MSD), arising from manual handling can have a significant impact on the health of farmers. Chemicals management and handling is another area of risk on farms. Noise and vibration from using machines are further hazards. Awareness raising is crucial. Inspections can help too. Training can considerably reduce all risks and such training is available through Teagasc.

Research has shown that if farmers are not fully “switched on” to health and safety management, farming standards and practices also tend to be unsatisfactory Teagasc provides courses around the country to help farmers understand and address health and safety risks and I would again urge that they are fully availed of.

Farmers must also take personal responsibility for their own safety and health and that of their families.  The low usage of the Farm Safety Code in particular indicates a very worrying lack of engagement with what is a practical preventative system. The Code can help to identify dangers and how to assess and deal with them. The major causes of death on farms over the last 10 years have been Machinery (49pc), Livestock (15pc), Drowning / Gas (14pc) and Falls (10pc). There are a lot of simple measures which can be put in place to prevent accidents in each of these categories. Too often Health and Safety Authority inspectors have investigated appalling tragedies on farms, many involving young children, which with a small amount of planning could have been avoided. This just cannot continue. 

We can take heart from the knowledge that improvements are possible. In the 1990s we had similar concerns about safety in the construction sector. With encouragement at the time from the then Minister, Tom Kitt, the Construction Safety Partnership was set up. While nobody can be complacent, there has been a major improvement in the safety record of that sector. It is fair to say that health and safety is now considered an intrinsic and integral part of the construction industry. The fatality rate in construction has fallen from 15 per 100,000 workers in 1999 to 6.6 per 100,000 workers in 2009. With the commitment of all of us present here today, the Farm Safety Partnership can replicate the success of the Construction Industry.

Nobody ever thinks an accident or ill health will happen to them. This gives rise to lax work practices and taking safety for granted. The challenge is to change behaviour and attitudes fundamentally so that people are always aware of the risk of serious injury or worse. That is why this conference could not be more timely – it gives us an opportunity to focus our attention and re-double our efforts.

We have the major representative bodies and farming interests here this morning. We should debate and exchange ideas. We should ask ourselves – what are we not doing right in addressing the high levels of fatalities and lack of safety culture in agriculture? We should use today's conference to share mutual perspectives and insights and to take that knowledge into the farmyards and fields where it can make a real difference. Thank you.

ENDS/LA 372