APRIL 2017 Issue 4 - Volume 18
MAYO STORES ARE TOPS IN EXCELLENCE AWARDS No.1in the No.2 Business...
• Septic Tank Cleaning • Emergency Service Call Out • Odours Investigated • High Velocity Water Jetting • CCTV Drain Inspection • Domestic Drain Cleaning • Commercial Drain Cleaning • Man Hole Covers Replaced • Annual Maintenance Contracts
16 PAGE HOUSE & HOME FEATURE
Time to take action on Farm Safety Ballina Rugby Club’s Lip Sync Night
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S Summer approaches the issue of farm safety comes into focus and some tragedies in recent days and weeks reminds us of the need to Think Safety when it comes to the modern farm. One third of all workplace fatalities occur in farming and almost 50% of farm accidents occur around tractors and machinery, while the largest proportion of people killed are either children or old. While the question is posed, Is it time the HSA began to penalise farmers over Farm Safety – face fines for not taking safety training or observing their Farm Safety Risk Assessment Documents - everybody in the vicinity of a farm should be conscious of the dangers, particularly for children. In terms of numbers, if the current level of farm deaths continue over 200 farmers will have died in this decade and, sadly 38 children have died in farm fatalities since 1996. Over 1,000 injuries occur on farms each year, some relatively serious in terms of the degree of disablement as a result. When it comes to children every farm should have a safe play area and other parts of the farm no-go areas. If this is not possible, particularly in very small farms, special consideration must be given to machinery, heights and water, the latter deserving very careful scrutiny when it comes to small children. Many farm ponds are out of view with reeds and grasses obscuring the edges, holes and drains are left exposed after building work; even water barrels can present drowning risks. Practically every farm has a slurry pit and some are not solid enough to stand in. The “Think Safety” strategy is paramount, particularly as so many farms are one-man operations ; children are naturally curious and with couples either busy working together or with different jobs young children may have too much scope to wander around farms on their own. For this reason, accurate assessment of potential dangers is necessary and adequate safeguards employed all over the farm to stem the current level of tragedies.
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