Improving farm safety

A detailed 18-month plan of action to tackle farm safety in Northern Ireland has been launched by the Farm Safety Partnership.

The Farm Safety Partnership was set up in May this year specifically to address the alarming increase in the number of farmers who are dying or seriously injuring themselves as a result of work-related accidents. Since then, a number of initiatives have been launched to counteract the situation.

The agricultural sector suffers one of the highest workplace accident rates in the UK and Ireland. Since April 2007, more than 40 people in Northern Ireland have been killed as a direct result of agricultural activities. Many more have been seriously injured.

Launching the Action Plan, Health and Safety Minister Arlene Foster said: “Work-related deaths on our farms are not inevitable and most could be prevented by taking simple steps to improve safety. We need to urgently make sure farmers are doing everything they can to stay safe. The actions contained in the Farm Safety Partnership plan have been agreed by all of the key stakeholders, and work is already well under way to deliver them.”