Nenagh born inspector’s warning to farmers

The Health and Safety Authority (HSA) will begin a two-week farm inspection blitz on Monday, November 15, with a focus on working at height.

Over the last ten years working at height has led to 11 fatalities on farms and HSA inspectors will be paying particular attention during this campaign to how farmers plan and organise their working at height activity.

Nenagh native Pat Griffin, who is a Senior Inspector with the Health and Safety Authority said: “A lot of work at height on farms takes place on shed roofs, many of which are either entirely or partially made from fragile materials.

“Working on these roofs carries significant risk and farmers must carefully plan and organise their work to ensure their safety and health.

“Ideally, farmers should avoid carrying out work at height at all and use a competent contractor who will have the equipment and expertise to do the work safely. But where farmers have no option but to carry out the work themselves, there are basic precautions that must be taken.

“A fall from a height can lead to a very serious life changing injury or even death, taking shortcuts or carrying out the work without due regard to the risks involved is not an option.”

Where farmers are undertaking the work themselves, they must carry out a risk assessment. Free online resources provided by the HSA, such as www.besmart.ie and www.farmsafely.com, will provide guidance and direction for farmers to ensure this key planning activity is properly undertaken.

General farm safety information and guidance can be found at www.hsa.ie.