50% drop in farming fatalities in 2021

lalababa

What do ye think caused this drop, when I assume all farmers were going about their farming business as usual?

Due to covid restrictions?

Less stress from an off farm job due to less work/WFH?

Less stress due to reduced social interactions?

More time to accomplish farm tasks due to less off farm work/social interactions?

More social time within immediate family groups?

A phycological change in thinking ... destressing/slowing down due to the acceptance of the 'bigger picture' of a global epidemic.

Grueller

I would think that having a bit of help around due to covid means less risks taken. Also more time to complete tasks at the correct pace instead of rushing and not seeing danger.

Hard Knocks

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118396109#Comment_118396109

Think most farm fatalities were the over 70’s and under 10’s, Covid brought PUP & WFH which meant these 2 sectors weren’t on their own

Anto_Meath

I would guess the working from home is a big element in this, more help and time around the farm properly means less risks taken.

I wonder is the reduction even between Say machinery and livestock as I assume the are the two mostly associated with fatalities & injuries.

alps

Maybe people are finally taking a little more care..

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118398921#Comment_118398921

I doubt its that simple

_Brian

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118396501#Comment_118396501

I’d say your on the money there.

Hard Knocks

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118399278#Comment_118399278

I hope this is just not a blip

tractorporn

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118401001#Comment_118401001

Wait for the 50% rise next year being used by the HSA as an excuse to inspect more farms.

SuperTortoise

I'd say more time to do the farm jobs for a lot of people lucky enough to be able to work from home is the biggest factor.

alps

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118403082#Comment_118403082

How many inspections take place? Only ever had a visit once, and he was top class amenable...

Some farm workplaces and work practices are on the extreme side of negligent and it is fantastic to see a change like this..

893bet

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118403317#Comment_118403317

Price of beef and milk was up and people invested in safety.

(Lol)

Either way 90 percent (or more) farms have no employees. HSA can **** right off from my workplace is my humble opinion.

Grueller

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118403317#Comment_118403317

Have to agree Alps. Had a guy in one day as well. No problems at all. He picked out a pto guard missing on the old 4000 was all. Sent on photos of it in place and all was good. We was a really practical, reasonable guy and wasn't interested in getting into minute detail just raising my awareness of how I was going about tasks. I would welcome a visit from him any time.

893bet

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118403380#Comment_118403380

So he pointed out something that you knew well you needed anyway?

a waste of time IMo.

Hard Knocks

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118403404#Comment_118403404

No disrespect to Grueller if he wasn’t inspected would it be fixed today. sadly allot of us put stuff off, take chances where luck sees us through. Whether family or relative another set of eyes can be the saving off a life or injury

Grueller

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118403404#Comment_118403404

No, that was all he placed an enforcement notice on.

He went through a lot of other procedures etc and had very practical suggestions re cattle handling etc.

Don't let your prejudice against authority figures cloud where I said he was raising awareness of how I went about tasks etc.

Grueller

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118403504#Comment_118403504

Probably not HK. I would have said sure the only thing on that is the pto cement mixer occasionally so no need to have it. One cost €20 and is there now 5 years plus.

Say my name

HSA were around here too before last year and pointed out a few little things that needed to be done too.

Few things come to mind for the possible reduction.

More help at home doing jobs due to covid.

Fine long weather at both silage, hay and corn harvest in 2021 so less rush.

Tams investments in animal handling and safety equipment could be finally coming true.

Same for tractors and machinery increased investment to make things safer.

Covid is probably the big one. No messing going on and people taking jobs more seriously for fear of ending up in hospital.

Good to see the reduction anyway. Here's to another good year in 2022.

893bet

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118403535#Comment_118403535

Don’t let your assumptions around my prejudice to authority figures cloud your opinion.

The nanny state has us all fucked at all angles. If you needed the HSA lad to give you advice on cattle handling then lol. The lad was likely never near a cow at calving.

We all take risk. Calculated. If you lads think the HSA coming on to your farms regularly is a good thing then…..well that’s your opinion I guess.

Hard Knocks

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118403570#Comment_118403570

Forget about HSA, when is the last time you brought someone around your yard and asked them if the see anything unsafe. Done knowledge transfer where the coordinator got everyone to inspect for issues and it opened allot of eyes to what we overlook ourselves

893bet

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118403689#Comment_118403689

The same time as 99 percent of farmers. Never.

Like I say, in my own work space I don’t need the HSA to call and tell me about their “risk assessment document” and point out the most obvious of risk to tick their inspection box.

An hour/day visit is a pure and utter waste of time. I develop risk assessment for my ‘day’ job, can take weeks of review for a single new process and there is always gaps identified down the line. If a HSA assessor can identify anything that you don’t already know about then well…...

Grueller

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118403570#Comment_118403570

Trust me 893, I have handled enough cattle in my lifetime unfortunately to be more than competent. Both wild and tame.

Despie that, I will never get to the stage where I won't listen to someone else with a different perspective that might just leave my life easier and even safer. I don't think that's any reason for a lol but each to their own.

JustJoe7240

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118403570#Comment_118403570

You're living in dream world If you think the risks most farmers take are calculated. I'd hate to see what the farm fatality stats would be if they weren't.

interlocked

There's never any harm with an impartial eye giving friendly advice.

The best farmer might be missing something obvious.

Would you not welcome someone coming in, taking a look and giving a bit of a steer, if necessary. I would.

You can always ignore it..

Nothing worse in any walk of life than a "know it all".

Unfortunately in high risk sectors there will inevitably be someone saying "if only he'd listened".

I'm not a farmer but am on good terms with locals and know what my father in law is up to on his. The number of close calls they all have doing something they've been doing all their lives is scary. I'm sure they all calculated the risks and took the chance.

I know 2 people locally who almost lost their arms in the last 12 months on a crush.

893bet

Ye can paint me as a “know it all”. Far from it. I would welcome anyone impartial on for advice.

But the HSA. Nah. All these types of orgs try and bring is more regs and more cost. Jobs for the boys🙃

Only example given in this thread was the suggested a PTO cover.

I am happy to be in charge of my own workplace and responsible for myself and any family member I have helping me.

K.G.

Put pto guards on 2 tractors today,rarely have been more content after doing jobs on a Sunday and only took a couple of hours.edit to say being a close contact helped too as we couldn't go anywhere,every cloud and all

Grueller

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118405789#Comment_118405789

893, to be fair we are never going to agree here and that's fine. I would certainly not brand you a know all from based on the livestock thread where you have shown the finest of stock but are still seeking advice.

I will say though that I highlighted more than a pto cover as an example,that was the only enforcement notice. He also gave cattle handling advice or more specifically advice on animal flow around collecting yards and the crush.

minerleague

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118404156#Comment_118404156

Too many people looking over your shoulder these days. I'd say most accidents that happen on farms wouldn't have been picked out beforehand, most down to rushing/ older lads minding the shop while the farmer working off farm.

Esel

Would they check things like handbrakes, emergency switches etc.?

893bet

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118407800#Comment_118407800

My concern is the fact of you invite them on then they have powers for enforcement notices etc.

Imagine them rocking up every year and leaving you with a list. And then many it becomes a case of the bird bia audit where they nearly have to try find “something” it seems for the sake of it.

The nanny state is accelerating and it’s coming from all angles. Try buying a slab a Guinness this morning……!

tanko

Is there anywhere you can look up to see how farmers were killed or injured in farm accidents without names and locations being mentioned? Reading that would make me think how to farm in a safer way. Being attacked by livestock, slurry/agitating accidents, PTO accidents, falling from ladders/roofs and brakes/handbrakes not working properly on tractors must account for most i’d think.

alps

Screenshot_20220104-153457_Chrome.jpg

Say my name

Seemingly no deaths from farm machinery last year.

And one third of the deaths were from Co.Cavan.