THREE DEATHS in the past 10 days have brought to 14 the number of people killed on farms this year, prompting a suggestion that mandatory safety training for farmers may be necessary.
There was a record 25 farm deaths last year, but the recent fatalities mean the total at present is just three fewer than it was this time last year.
The most recent fatalities are being investigated by the Health and Safety Authority.
The authority’s senior inspector Pat Griffin said it looked like it was going to be another “dreadful year” despite farm representative bodies Teagasc and other organisations getting heavily involved in promoting safety.
Mr Griffin said he was deeply concerned that of the nine tractor deaths this year three of them involved quads.
“Farmers are not trained to drive these machines and they are complex and do not have roll bars. The time is coming when we are going to have to look at mandatory training.”
He said farmers who had been handling all kinds of machinery all their lives might not be aware of the danger posed by quad machines and it was difficult to get that message across.
It may also be necessary to extend mandatory training to loading equipment which was responsible for the loss of the first two lives on farms this year.
“With the collapse of the construction industry, farmers have been able to purchase lifting equipment cheaply like loading shovels and teleporters.
“If these are being driven in quarries or on building sites, the driver is required to have been trained, and it may be necessary to do the same on the farm.”
So far this year, he added, there had been two livestock-related deaths, one caused by a newly calved cow and the other involving a horse.
Mr Griffin said Ireland had one of the best farm-safety records in the EU, and he wondered what the EU was prepared to do about farm deaths.
“There are between 400 and 450 deaths on EU farms each year and yet it does not seem to impact on EU thinking.”
He said an explosion on an oil rig or in another workplace where there were multiple deaths would cause the EU to make changes, “but the fact there are up to 450 single accidents involving farming people scattered across the union does not seem to have the same impact at all”.
Irish Farmers Association farm family committee chairwoman Margaret Healy said the increase in farm fatalities due to machinery was a concern.
“Farmers should ensure they are fully familiar with the workings of equipment and machinery before they take on a task,” Ms Healy said. “The golden rule is, always turn off the power source before attempting any repair.”