Context

• The Irish agricultural sector accounts for just 6% of the working population of Ireland, it consistently has the highest proportion of fatal incidents of any sector generally ranging from between 35% and 45% of all workplace fatalities in any given year. This was again evident in 2017 where 51% (24 of the 47) of the fatal workplace incidents were in the agricultural sector. The common cause of these fatal farm accidents are vehicles, livestock, falls, and machinery.
• Agriculture in Ireland has an ageing workforce with the average age of an Irish farmer now standing at fifty-seven and farmers are seven times more likely to suffer a workplace fatal injury than those working in the general working population. Approximately 88% of farm holdings are male-owned with 50% of the male farm owners being 55 years or older, and perhaps more significantly in terms of health and safety, 30% of all male farmers are aged 65 or older.
• Targeting counties which have significant fatal incident rates over the last 5 years (Cork had 12 fatalities, Tipperary had 6, and Wexford had 5) this project will tackle the social norms around farm safety, health and wellbeing with farmers on the ground by changing the existing range of interventions. It will do so by creating a peer-to-peer approach to help change farmers and farm family’s attitudes and behaviours towards their farm safety and emotional wellbeing in Irish farming culture, which will be followed in this generation of farmers and the next.

Additional comments

Templates/Checklists will be created throughout the project for farmers and farm families to assist them when completing their Farm Safety Statements and Risk Assessments. There will also be innovative approaches within the project which will include farm safety, health and wellbeing signage, pictures, videos all of which will highlight diverse ways to make farms a safer and healthier place for farmers, farm families to live and work.

Scaling up the Project

There is potential for the project to be scaled up at national level to help minimise the number of fatalities/injuries that occur on farms by influencing the attitudes and behaviours of farmers regarding the uptake of best practice farm health and safety measures while simultaneously highlighting the importance of peer to peer mentor approach among the farming community in order to avoid accidents and save lives.