The Health and Safety Authority (HSA) conducted 1,069 inspections in the agriculture, forestry and fishery sectors in 2022, an increase of 669 inspections (around 60%) on 2021, the HSA’s annual report for 2022 shows.
In 2021, the HSA conducted 400 inspections and investigations in the sectors in 2021.
Of the inspections carried out last year, the HSA issued 511 written notices to farmers, foresters and fishers, along with 17 improvement notices.
Twenty-eight restriction letters were also issued.
In 2021, 13 ban and improvement notices were issued in the sector and a total of 215 written advice letters were issued.
According to the HSA report, the construction and farming sectors account for almost three-quarters of all work-related fatalities. Farming recorded 13 fatalities in 2022, making it the sector with the highest number of fatalities.
In 2021, nine people died in farm accidents, but this was a 50% decline on the 2020 level of fatalities. The HSA says that this is encouraging, and it hopes that this is a sign that the safety message is getting through.
Inspection campaigns
In 2022, a teaching resource and an online digital resource addressing farm safety for post-primary children were created to complement in-class activities.
The authority used a variety of communication strategies to inform important stakeholders in agriculture, including: large-scale awareness-building initiatives have been carried out in a variety of media.
These public relations efforts, which included frequent press releases and advertising campaigns, were coordinated with four inspection campaigns and backed by Farm Safety Partnership Advisory Committee (FSPAC) member organisations, resulting in extensive national and local media attention.
Events
HSA and other FSPAC member organisations were involved in promoting farm safety at several major events including the Tullamore Show and the World Ploughing Championships, Teagasc Sheep 2022 in Athenry and Beef 2022 in Grange and several other local events, all of which had significant farm safety stands and live demo areas.
The safety stands at the Tullamore Show and the World Ploughing Championship placed a significant focus on the new legal requirements on training and wearing of helmets for operating all-terrain vehicles.
The authority and the FSPAC supported Farm Safety Week in July 2022. This is a collaborative campaign, initiated by the Farm Safety Foundation (Yellow Wellies) in the UK and led by the IFA in Ireland.
