Health and Safety Authority

In the past 10 years, more than 100 lives have been lost in Ireland and there have been many more serious injuries in accidents related to machinery in fields, yards and workshops.

There are many ways to help to lower the risks involved in working with machinery. Any system or piece of equipment that can help with on-farm safety is a worthwhile investment. No matter how small the steps towards safer farms are, they are worthwhile steps. Here are a few on show at Punchestown this week.

A visit to the HSA stand will give you the information you will need to make your farm as safe a place as possible. Knowledge is the first step to better farm safety.

Seats

The seat in your tractor is an essential safety item. It helps to keep you free from injury and discomfort. Many tractors of an older era suffer from worn-out seats. A good seat replacement will make your life more comfortable and much safer. Seat System Ltd will be at the show with the parts you need to refurbish your old seat or replace it completely.

Workshop safety

Many farmers do most of their repair work at home. In this situation, it is very important to have the correct personal protective equipment. Welding and grinding are some of the more dangerous farm workshop activities. Sparks, burns and welder flash injuries can range from an annoyance to a trip to the local accident and emergency department. Welding and other workshop safety equipment will be available to see at the Inchaquire Industries stand at the show.

Reversing safety

Reversing beepers and cameras are a great safety tool in large machinery. We have become accustomed to the normal beeping noise given off by reversing trucks and machines and a little relaxed about paying attention to them. ECCO Safety Group has developed a new reverse warning system called the White Noise Reverse Alarm, which gives off a very different noise from the common one. It also adapts to the volume of the surrounding area. This system can be seen and heard at the CS Construction Spares Ltd stand.

Safe-Shaft

This is a new product to the market, which removes the PTO shaft from the machine by replacing it with a hydraulic motor. So far, it has only been used on a slurry tanker but it has many other possible applications. This safety device can be seen on the Safe-Shaft Systems Ltd stand.

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