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For Farm Safety Week 2018, farmers have been told that it is not about stopping anything but rather about changing how they operate and how they farm so they can minimise risks.
Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, Sharon McGuinness, chief executive of the Health and Safety Authority, said that “while the figures show farming is dangerous, it is possible to farm safely and farmers need to make that choice".
She highlighted the main risk areas including children on farms, machinery and farmers working alone.
A focus of attention was also placed on older farmers. “A high number of farmers over the age of 60 have been injured and killed. Farmers in that age group are more vulnerable,” Sharon said.
She said that farms in that age group and those around them needed work together to address this and that it started with planning tasks in advance.
Last year, 24 people lost their lives in farm accidents and 11 people have lost their lives so far in 2018.
SHARING OPTIONS: