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Farm fatalities decreased by 40% in 2018. In total 15 people died in farm related accidents last year, compared to 25 in 2017.
“Although farming has also seen a very strong improvement in 2018, 15 fatalities, which represents 41% of total fatalities, is still far too many for a sector that employs just 6% of the workforce,” said Sharon McGuinness, CEO of the Health and Safety Authority (HSA).
Overall 37 people were killed in work related accidents in 2018, a decline of 23% on 2017. This means the fatality rate is 1.6 deaths per 100,000 workers, down from 6.4 per 100,000 workers in the early 1990s.
After farming, the next highest sector is construction with five deaths in 2018 (14% of the total).
“The economy is thriving with thousands of new workers joining the workforce each month,” McGuinness said. “There are challenges ahead such as Brexit and also the fact that many employers are facing a skills shortage in certain sectors. In this context it is important that worker health and safety stays on the priority list. Safe and healthy employees are the backbone of any successful enterprise”.
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