My primary aim is to make farm families aware of the importance of mental health and psychological well-being. I feel that this is critical for safe farming practice. I plan on do this in four simple steps:
The information for this simulator could be supplied by a smartphone app which encourages farmers to share the risks they identify and help educate other members of their farming community.
This app would base its data on the checklist which I have created, “Identify Quickly, Focus Sharply, Adjust with Care”. It is my hope that the use of such a farm risk simulator, will at some point be included in the agricultural science curriculum for Leaving Certificate students.
Mechanisation is an essential part of farming life, which Liz McCabe – a family friend – is very much aware of.
In July 1965, she was two years old, the youngest in a family of seven. Her father Michael Fleming was working on the farm. While he was operating a tractor on sloped land near a river, the tractor overturned. As the tractor had no safety frame, her dad was trapped underneath and died, aged forty four. She believes that the accident could have been prevented had the tractor been fitted with a protective cab. She also feels that dangerous areas of land should be fenced off, to prevent machinery being operated on unsuitable ground.
Upon researching legislation on Rollover Protection Structures (ROPS), I found that all tractors used in a public place since 1 September 1977 are required to have these structures of an appropriate standard in place.
Consequences of the accident were far-reaching, and resulted in the farm having to be sold. She feels that safety standards have improved through education. I also share this belief, but feel that farm safety can be furthered through interaction between farmers, farming organisations and farm suppliers. It is about working together as a group and educating each other.