Continuing High Level of Accidents on Farms

Teagasc Safety Officer John McNamara has called for greater vigilance on farms during the months of December and January to ensure that farmers and their families have a safe and healthy Christmas. This is a particularly dangerous time on farms with 16% of all fatal farm accidents having taken place in these months over the last ten years.

The number of fatal farm accidents has not declined in recent years. To date this year, 17 fatalities have taken place with 10 of these involving farmers over 65 years of age. Given this increasing number of fatal accidents among the over sixties, the Teagasc - Health and Safety Authority Joint Accident and Ill Health Prevention Programme will address the issue in 2007.

A national survey of farm accidents was conducted by Teagasc Rural Economy Research Centre as part of the 2005 National Farm Survey. The survey is representative of 95,000 farms but does not represent very small scale farms or pig and poultry units.

This survey indicates that injury causing accidents continue to occur on farms at a very high level, with over 1,700 occurring in 2005. However, this figure has dropped by approximately 30% when compared to a similar survey, conducted by Teagasc, in 2001.Teagasc Health and Safety Officer, John McNamara said the survey findings indicate that some progress has taken place on reducing injury causing accidents in farming, particularly with tractor and machinery operation. All the data available suggests that farm accident levels have dropped among farmers aged between 17 and 65 years.

The National Farm Survey findings indicate that livestock related accidents are now the predominant cause of injuries among farmers accounting for 65% of all accidents. Livestock related accidents occurred predominantly on non-suckling cattle farms, accounting for 41% of all livestock injuries.

Most accidents on farms involve those aged between 31 and 64 years, reflecting the age profile of those working on farms. Forty eight percent (48%) of all accidents involved persons in the 51-64 year age category while 38% involved persons aged between 31 and 50 years.

The Teagasc survey found that accidents causing injury now occur predominantly on smaller farms with 51% occurring on farms of less than 20 hectares in size.