With the long nights now well and truly here, most of us have more time to reflect on the year gone by and catch up on some paperwork. It is a great opportunity to see how the year has gone financially for the farm and plan for the year ahead. Why not make farm safety improvements part of those plans? It is an area we can all improve upon, not only regarding the farm facilities but we also need to make it part of our everyday psyche. Preparing for the first time, or updating the farm safety statement, will help to get the ball rolling on farm safety if you want to take the area seriously. Besides, all farmers are required by law to:
Identify the hazards and assess the risks on their farm. Draw up a written safety statement setting out the arrangements and resources provided to safeguard the safety and health of persons on the farm.A risk assessment document was sent out to every farmer in the country in the past but it is also available online. This document summarises the common areas on the farm that need assessment. To fill out the form, ideally you should walk around the farm and write down anything that needs attention.
A safety statement should be reviewed annually at least and kept by the farmer at their home.
Identify the hazards
According to the Health and Safety Authority (HSA), a hazard is anything (or any work activity) that has the potential to cause harm or injury. Therefore, it does not have to be a physical hazard – it can also be a hazardous activity. Examples of common hazards on farms include moving parts of machinery, working at heights, slurry tanks (drowning, gases), or over-head powerlines. Less obvious hazards include untidy yards and workshops. In terms of farming activities, you need to look out for excessive noise which workers might be exposed to in the long term. Diseases such as farmer’s lung, brucellosis, Weil’s disease and toxoplasmosis are some of the more serious diseases found in the farming population.
Carry out a risk assessment
Once you have established the hazards, you can then determine the likelihood of them causing harm or resulting in negative consequences for someone’s health. The HSA has outlined a number of questions you can ask yourself when it comes to determining this likelihood:
Is anyone exposed to the hazard? Who is exposed… children? Skilled worker?Is the hazard likely to cause injury?Is the hazard well controlled?What training has been provided?Decide prevention and control measures
With the hazards identified and level of risk each hazard represents, you can then decide how best to prevent any harm coming from them. It might be just a case of arranging more training or it could involve more effort/investment:
Fence off/contain the hazard (eg fence a slurry pit, fit guard over PTO shaft).Replace the hazard with something less hazardous (eg AI service to replace the stock bull).Provide training and/or supervision.Provide personal protective equipment (PPE) or clothing.Record your findings
Record the more significant hazards and the most important conclusions from your risk assessment in your farm safety statement. This should be reviewed and updated throughout the year. Work practices may change, and new equipment or substances may be introduced.
Inspections
The HSA usually carries out targeted farm inspections throughout the year. This year, it undertook three targeted agriculture inspection campaigns during 2018:
February: livestock safety.May: vehicle safety.October: safe working at heights.The inspector may go through the safety statement with the farmer to ensure all safety aspects were taken into consideration during the inspection.
At the end of the inspection, the inspector can give verbal advice on aspects of farm safety that need attention.
A written report or notice can also be issued with a deadline to comply with the recommendations. On re-inspection, if the farmer has not made any attempt to comply with the inspector’s recommendations, it will be seen as a clear breach of the law and it may be taken further.
With the long nights now well and truly here, most of us have more time to reflect on the year gone by and catch up on some paperwork. It is a great opportunity to see how the year has gone financially for the farm and plan for the year ahead. Why not make farm safety improvements part of those plans? It is an area we can all improve upon, not only regarding the farm facilities but we also need to make it part of our everyday psyche. Preparing for the first time, or updating the farm safety statement, will help to get the ball rolling on farm safety if you want to take the area seriously. Besides, all farmers are required by law to:
Identify the hazards and assess the risks on their farm. Draw up a written safety statement setting out the arrangements and resources provided to safeguard the safety and health of persons on the farm.A risk assessment document was sent out to every farmer in the country in the past but it is also available online. This document summarises the common areas on the farm that need assessment. To fill out the form, ideally you should walk around the farm and write down anything that needs attention.
A safety statement should be reviewed annually at least and kept by the farmer at their home.
Identify the hazards
According to the Health and Safety Authority (HSA), a hazard is anything (or any work activity) that has the potential to cause harm or injury. Therefore, it does not have to be a physical hazard – it can also be a hazardous activity. Examples of common hazards on farms include moving parts of machinery, working at heights, slurry tanks (drowning, gases), or over-head powerlines. Less obvious hazards include untidy yards and workshops. In terms of farming activities, you need to look out for excessive noise which workers might be exposed to in the long term. Diseases such as farmer’s lung, brucellosis, Weil’s disease and toxoplasmosis are some of the more serious diseases found in the farming population.
Carry out a risk assessment
Once you have established the hazards, you can then determine the likelihood of them causing harm or resulting in negative consequences for someone’s health. The HSA has outlined a number of questions you can ask yourself when it comes to determining this likelihood:
Is anyone exposed to the hazard? Who is exposed… children? Skilled worker?Is the hazard likely to cause injury?Is the hazard well controlled?What training has been provided?Decide prevention and control measures
With the hazards identified and level of risk each hazard represents, you can then decide how best to prevent any harm coming from them. It might be just a case of arranging more training or it could involve more effort/investment:
Fence off/contain the hazard (eg fence a slurry pit, fit guard over PTO shaft).Replace the hazard with something less hazardous (eg AI service to replace the stock bull).Provide training and/or supervision.Provide personal protective equipment (PPE) or clothing.Record your findings
Record the more significant hazards and the most important conclusions from your risk assessment in your farm safety statement. This should be reviewed and updated throughout the year. Work practices may change, and new equipment or substances may be introduced.
Inspections
The HSA usually carries out targeted farm inspections throughout the year. This year, it undertook three targeted agriculture inspection campaigns during 2018:
February: livestock safety.May: vehicle safety.October: safe working at heights.The inspector may go through the safety statement with the farmer to ensure all safety aspects were taken into consideration during the inspection.
At the end of the inspection, the inspector can give verbal advice on aspects of farm safety that need attention.
A written report or notice can also be issued with a deadline to comply with the recommendations. On re-inspection, if the farmer has not made any attempt to comply with the inspector’s recommendations, it will be seen as a clear breach of the law and it may be taken further.
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