Tom Beegan CEO of Heath & Safety Authority
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6.01 News: Joe O'Brien, Agriculture and Food Correspondent, looks at farm fatality figures and the campaign aimed at improving health and safety on farms
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News At One: Tom Beegan, Chief Executive of the Health and Safety Authority, says farmers are being urged to prioritise health and safety
At the launch of a new awareness campaign, the Authority also said it is disappointed that the filling-in of farm safety documents was not made a condition for drawing down subsidies in the recent CAP reforms.
The Authority blames European farm leaders for this omission.
Sixteen people, including two children, have died on farms already this year. And 34 children have died in agricultural accidents in the past decade, comprising one-third of all workplace fatalities.
The main dangers are machinery, bulls and slurry pits.
The chief executive of the Authority, Tom Beegan, said it is now posting a self-assessment document to every farm in the country to focus farmers on the urgent need for safety.
