Medics at Cork University Hospital (CUH) have raised concerns about the lack of mandatory safety training for farmers.

The medics at the hospital’s emergency department have raised their concerns after revealing that there were 54 patients admitted to CUH after major trauma caused by a farm accidents between 2009 and 2013.

In their study published in the January edition of the Irish Medical Journal, the medics recorded that one injury proved fatal when a farmer died after receiving a kick from a cow.

The medics also found that a two-year-old suffered a broken leg after being struck by a cow.

The average hospital stay was four days, with 85% of admittance being male and aged 56 on average.

Common injuries

Leg breaks were the most common injuries sustained by the group accounting for 13 injuries.

Other injuries included hip fractures, blunt chest trauma, head injuries, arm breaks, spinal fractures, pelvis fractures, facial injuries and lacerations.

The medics found that July was the month when most hospital admissions were made and it coincided with the same period when cows came into season and the bull was with the herd.

The medics state that nine of the admissions were admitted to the hospital’s intensive care unit with four sustaining head injuries.

The medics state that over one third of the farmers who suffered major trauma were over 65 years of age despite farming being the most dangerous industry in Ireland, where there were 138 deaths on farmers between 2009 and 2015.

Older farmers

The medics stated: “In most industries, these workers would be retired.

“Older farmers stayed in hospital longer than their younger counterparts. This compounds the economic impact on injuries suffered – on both a personal level and on the sector.”

The medics stated that the lack of safety training standards for farmers should be examined in order to improve safety practices.

The medics said: “When we treat these injuries in hospital, the horse, cow or bull has bolted; lack of mandatory safety training is an oversight peculiar to the agriculture industry. This is an area which should be examined by governing bodies as a matter of urgency.”

The medics also said that from a public health perspective, it is vital that the Irish Farmers Association, Teagasc and the Health and Safety Authority continue and strengthen their efforts to raise awareness of the dangers facing Irish farmers and try to reduce the number of fatal and non-fatal injuries which occur on Irish farms each year.

“This is an area which should be examined by governing bodies as a matter of urgency.”

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