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In 2012, the west Offaly dairy discussion group won the top prize at the inaugural innovation project competition awards with their project operation lifesaver. I met one of the group members at the Moorepark Open Day last week and the exploits of the group came flooding back to me.
At the time, the group, led by chair Brendan McGarry and group facilitator Jim Moyles, were crowned overall winners. The project was based on improving health and safety on their farms and developing a template that other groups could follow to better improve safety on all their farms.
In their presentation to the competition judges, group members and dairy farmers Aidan Kenny, Hughie Egan and Brendan McGarry described how when they came up with the idea of taking on a health and safety project, some members thought it wasn’t worthy of merit.
However, when they discussed the statistics that farmers are 10 times more likely to be killed at work than other professions, the group soon decided it was worthy of focus and if one life was saved or one injury prevented then it would be well worthwhile.
That year, when doing the competition exercise, the group met 14 times and each of these meetings included some component of health and safety tasks completed by the group. What they did then was to complete the electronic risk assessment tool on www.farmsafely.com.
Hazards
The website breaks down farm safety into nine separate headings or hazards ranging from precautions for children and older farmers to improving personal health of farmers. Over the course of nine on-farm group meetings, the group spent time discussing one individual category or safety hazard and how it applied to both the host farmer and the other group members.
As a result of this, the group produced a farm case study booklet with photographs illustrating hazards on farms and the corrective action taken.
During the year, the group also had a presentation from a health and safety inspector and a full day’s training from Farm Relief Services. They spoke to insurance companies FBD and Aviva and both companies gave assurances of a possible group discount once the project was completed.
Farm safety equipment was purchased in bulk for the group – items such as PTO shaft covers and dust masks from local companies Belmont Plant and Equipment and Brosna Safetywear.
A total of 226 corrective actions, or on average 16 actions per member, were taken to improve farm safety on member farms. The Group found the HSA website (www.farmsafely.com) very easy to use and navigate and at the time they saw benefit to all farmers completing the exercise on the HSA website.
After reading details of the project in the mid-term review published in the Irish Farmers Journal in July, 2012, the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) contacted the group and encouraged them to enter a European-wide safety competition.
As a result, the Offaly project was selected as the Irish entry to go forward to the European Occupational Safety and Health awards and duly won the award.
The award was presented by László Andor, then European Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, at a European conference addressing safety and health challenges.
What can you do?
Discussion Groups are often looking to do something different to the constant messaging on grassland management. Now that the farming year is getting close to cruise control mode, is it worthwhile to complete something like the West Offaly discussion group completed? Break into two or three sub-groups. Each sub-group visits each farm in the sub-group and complete a safety audit on the farm. Record the suggestions and take photographs of the potential hazards. Compile all into one project workbook so all members can share the learning.
SHARING OPTIONS: