Farm accident stories...be careful folks!!

Blackgrass · 26-02-2015 10:52am

Chemical Byrne wrote: »

I know a lad who was delivering a load to a place and was to tip it into an underground reception pit with an auger to carry the stuff to silos. When opening the latches on the tailgate he made the mistake of not standing to the side and the tailgate popped open knocking him back into the pit with a sizable amount of the load falling in on top of him. Remember, there was an auger turning away at the bottom. I'm not sure what way the funeral went, certainly no wake anyway. Tupperware coffin.

Manual latches on tailgates should be done away with and we should use hydraulic ones that are either on their own spool or a simpler arrangement is to spur them off the tipping rams. It saves time too as no hopping up and down. Every weight bearing ram should be fitted with check valves.

Why wasn't there a cage over the pit? Hope someone got taken bareback and some... It's not rocket science!

Hydraulic doors are handy but need a safety valve which is probably what your saying now that think of it:rolleyes:. Won't allow rear door to operate until lifted a few '' on body first. Locking mounts are needed to unlike ccertain trailers aka Bailey which tend to weep open as age :pac:

Reggie. · 26-02-2015 11:00am

Blackgrass wrote: »

Why wasn't there a cage over the pit? Hope someone got taken bareback and some... It's not rocket science!

Hydraulic doors are handy but need a safety valve which is probably what your saying now that think of it:rolleyes:. Won't allow rear door to operate until lifted a few '' on body first. Locking mounts are needed to unlike ccertain trailers aka Bailey which tend to weep open as age :pac:

Exactly...heavy mesh of some sort

Chemical Byrne · 26-02-2015 11:01am

I know of another incident my father told me of (good few years ago now) who was doing a bit of clearing or whatever and had a bulldozer in doing it. There was some problem with the starter on it and he used have to get out and cross the terminals on the starter to get it going.
All was OK until he left it in gear (or whatever) and with him standing on the track when it started he was thrown onto the ground and the track then went straight over him.

Another fella I knew lost part of his foot trying to kick a drawbar into the hitch. Very common.

Are any of you familiar with Ford 10 series tractors? The pickup hitch is lifted by these long inverted U shaped lift rods with a sliding pin attached to the lift arms. Anyway I heard of a one where a young fella was going along standing on the arms and to hold on he held onto those U shaped rods with his hands. For whatever reason, whoever was driving decided to lift up the arms. The sliding pins came up along the U bars and sheared all the lad's fingers clean off. Horrible. I think this dangerous arrangement might be part of the reason why the later 40 and TS series changed to having enclosed lift rods with a long mushroom topped bar sliding inside a tube.

Similar type of incident to what happened me with the krone mower. Luckily I escaped with a badly crushed thumb. Sliding linkages are deadly.
Sometimes I think what happened me was actually a good thing. No too serious but it woke me up to how dangerous a combination ignorance and machinery is. I'm very very wary now and extremely safety conscious working around the yard when I'm at home. Even down to things like tidying up and housekeeping.

Chemical Byrne · 26-02-2015 11:16am

I know of another close one that happened my brother. He was working with a neighbour mowing silage and some cover kept working loose on the mower and needed to be tightened down every now and then. FAULT 1, it should’ve been fixed. The tractor must have had a gammy ratched & pawl on the handbrake because it would occasionally “pop” off. FAULT 2. So my brother’s on top of the mower tightening the cover while on a slope and the handbrake “pops” and the whole lot begins moving downhill. Brother manages to jump off, run up alongside the tractor, jump in and stop it. A natural reaction to do that but thinking now, I wouldn’t do that. It’s not worth risking getting rolled over for if you slip trying to get on the step.

Another one is building loads of square bales on trailers. I think technically that would be classified as working at height. I’m not sure does agriculture have some exemption in this regard or is a blind eye turned to it by the HSA. Thinking about it, if work at height regs were enforced here it would essentially outlaw the use of small square bales.
A fella I worked with was also notorious for having bale trailers with floor boards that could collapse at any second. Lots of bruised and scraped legs that summer

Tea 1000 · 26-02-2015 12:24pm

Zr105 wrote: »

that bit is wrong. If you have an eb license you are allowed to pull a trailer of upto 3500kg behind the vehicle so long as the vehicle is rated to pull the weight. There aren't a massive pile of vehicles that are rated for the full 3.5ton tho, most are only 2.7. discoverys, defenders etc being some of the 3.5t rated. In the case of them the eb would allow you up on 5.5ton as most are around the 2ton+3.5ton trailer weight

Seems you're correct more or less. My information was coming from a friend who was told directly from the licensing office the restriction. Looks like the employee was incorrect! Here's the official speil:

What trailers does my category B licence cover?
You can tow a trailer with a

MAM no greater than 750kg, and/or
Where the MAM of the trailer exceeds 750kg but where the MAM of the vehicle and trailer does not exceed 3500kg.

As a general rule your category B licence would not allow you to tow a horsebox or a livestock trailer for bringing animals to the local mart.

What trailers does my category BE licence cover?
You can tow a trailer

In all cases where the MAM of the vehicle and trailer combination is greater than 3500kg but less than 7000kg.
In cases where the MAM of the trailer is greater than 750kg. However, note previous question where in certain cases a category B licence will allow you to tow a trailer over 750kg.

A car with a towing capacity of 2000kg can draw a trailer with a plated MAM of 3500kg provided the combination of the weight of the trailer and any load does not exceed the towing capacity of the car e.g. 2000kg.

Tokyo · 26-02-2015 12:42pm

Chemical Byrne wrote: »

Remember, there was an auger turning away at the bottom. I'm not sure what way the funeral went, certainly no wake anyway. Tupperware coffin.

Mod Note:

Guys, not a warning, just a heads-up. Please bear in mind that the farming community is quite close knit, and everybody knows everybody, or is related to somebody. A little bit of tact when discussing accidents goes a long way - nobody needs to read something like this about a friend or family member.

vincenzolorenzo · 26-02-2015 12:52pm

Tea 1000 wrote: »

Looks like the employee was incorrect!

I've come across this loads of times. The people meant to be running the show don't know the rules!

Zr105 · 27-02-2015 12:37am

Tea 1000 wrote: »

Seems you're correct more or less. My information was coming from a friend who was told directly from the licensing office the restriction. Looks like the employee was incorrect! Here's the official speil:

What trailers does my category B licence cover?
You can tow a trailer with a
MAM no greater than 750kg, and/or

Where the MAM of the trailer exceeds 750kg but where the MAM of the vehicle and trailer does not exceed 3500kg.

As a general rule your category B licence would not allow you to tow a horsebox or a livestock trailer for bringing animals to the local mart.

What trailers does my category BE licence cover?
You can tow a trailer
In all cases where the MAM of the vehicle and trailer combination is greater than 3500kg but less than 7000kg.

In cases where the MAM of the trailer is greater than 750kg. However, note previous question where in certain cases a category B licence will allow you to tow a trailer over 750kg.

A car with a towing capacity of 2000kg can draw a trailer with a plated MAM of 3500kg provided the combination of the weight of the trailer and any load does not exceed the towing capacity of the car e.g. 2000kg.

There's a whole pile of confusion over this because when all the stuff started about clamping down on be licenses one of the papers went and made a balls up job of reporting the weights etc and every one took it as gospel rather than actually looking up the facts and figures properly, which have been pretty much unchanged for a long time now.. Which is you can tow up to what the jeep is rated to pull once you have the eb licence and the trailer weight does not exceed 3.5ton

There's also a lot of confusion around tri axle trailers, a lot think you have to have an artic license for them but there doesn't seem to be anything in law to this regard atm.

BUT the thing is that you'd want to be filling a tri axle with feathers and helium to be under the weight classifications for jeeps. In reality if you filled a tri axle cattle trailer you will pretty much be over loading the axles, drawbar, hitch unit, nose weight on the ball hitch on the jeep, never mind the towing capacity.

vincenzolorenzo · 27-02-2015 7:16am

I think what happened was that guidance booklets or explanation notes gave examples, like if pulling a twin axle cattle trailer you will require an EB licence as chances are it will be over the weight limits for a B license. Lads then took this to mean once a trailer had 2 axles you required an EB.

davidk1394 · 28-02-2015 8:23pm

Chemical Byrne wrote: »

Jesus lexie. That is absolutely appalling. Your parents should be up for negligence or child abuse or something for permitting that sort of completely moronic recklessness to persist despite repeated incidents.

What in blue faced Jesus's name was A 2 YEAR OLD doing within 100 feet of an active farmyard not to mind a running tractor's fan belt?
Children should not be within an assess roar of a farmyard when work is taking place. FFS if got out anywhere that children were on building sites and going around hanging out of the cabs of excavators and dumpers or hanging around pipelines and deep excavations there would be war and heads would roll for it, and rightly so.

Don't get me started on 16 year old CHILDREN being legally allowed to drive all sorts of heavy machinery and 80km/hr Fastracs with 40' trailer with nothing other than a learner permit while to drive a small rigid truck one needs training and CPC etc etc not to even mention the training and certifications required to operate so much as a JCB digger on a proper construction site. No doubt this loophole is a relic of a bygone era when a Massey 35 was the largest piece of machinery likely to be encountered on any farm. But nothing will change in a hurry as to reform the system would be immensely unpopular and any politician who proposes such reform, no matter how necessary or well intentioned, would be committing political suicide, the weapon of choice being the ire of farmers and the IFA -untrained and impressionable 16 year olds are just too damn handy as cheap labour and might be ignorant of their rights.
(OT but on the point of construction you should see some of the outrageous proposals on this forum by farmers proposing to build sheds etc who suggest wacky things like welding structural steel at height out of the bucket of a loader.)

That is the problem with family farms. Familiarity breeds contempt and results in maiming and death on a grand scale.

Id say you were some craic when you were young alright

dunlopwellies · 02-03-2015 12:56am

Zr105 wrote: »

If you have an apple phone and have updated the software to the latest version there should be an app on the phone called health, it may be in the utilities folder if your phone automatically bunches them up

Thanks for this. Just updated it and it is a useful app to have.

Czhornet · 02-03-2015 9:25am

We run a small farm, nothing too exciting goes on around the place and I still have got a few knocks along the way. We keep every thing in order as it should be. we are not of these lads that go rushing off putting a mower on a tractor because there is 100 acres to cut and the weather is about to break, and discover that the bit that was broken last year is still not fixed, but continue on working it and get away with it for now, and then the same thing the year after and the year after that... its easy to fix machinery in off season times and have it ready for the season ahead.

I was talking to a H+S inspector lately and he recons that an NCT type test will be brought in for the checking of tractors and their working parts (brakes, hand brakes, PTO, hydraulics, lights, ROPS and all functions of switches and levers) in the near future. this might stop alot of mechanical accidents, maybe not human error which accounts for alot of injuries.
He also said that the DPP is pushing to get people convicted if there is a fatality on a farm (a father could be jailed if his child is killed on the farm). After all it is a place of work and at the minute after a fatality an investigation is done and sent to the DPP but that's as far as it goes, no prosecution arises from it.

makes you think.....

Suckler · 02-03-2015 9:50am

Czhornet wrote: »

I was talking to a H+S inspector lately and he recons that an NCT type test will be brought in for the checking of tractors and their working parts (brakes, hand brakes, PTO, hydraulics, lights, ROPS and all functions of switches and levers) in the near future. this might stop alot of mechanical accidents, maybe not human error which accounts for alot of injuries.
He also said that the DPP is pushing to get people convicted if there is a fatality on a farm (a father could be jailed if his child is killed on the farm). After all it is a place of work and at the minute after a fatality an investigation is done and sent to the DPP but that's as far as it goes, no prosecution arises from it.

makes you think.....

FTMTA started talking about this a while back but I heard no more about it. Something along the lines of they took a survey of tractors and brakes were one area that was woeful. All it needs is the backing from insurance companies for machinery without the right "NCT" to refuse payouts etc.

Nekarsulm · 02-03-2015 10:10am

Loads of farms with tractors not insured at all. Especially when they are only worth 1500 and never see the road.And I can think of nothing more pointless than jailing someone who has just been bereaved.

Reggie. · 02-03-2015 10:16am

Nekarsulm wrote: »

Loads of farms with tractors not insured at all. Especially when they are only worth 1500 and never see the road.And I can think of nothing more pointless than jailing someone who has just been bereaved.

Agreed. All that would do is turn people against the HSA

Bullocks · 02-03-2015 10:41am

Nekarsulm wrote: »

Loads of farms with tractors not insured at all. Especially when they are only worth 1500 and never see the road.And I can think of nothing more pointless than jailing someone who has just been bereaved.

I could see it being very hard to convict anyone in a farming accident.

Czhornet · 02-03-2015 11:07am

Bullocks wrote: »

I could see it being very hard to convict anyone in a farming accident.

There is a duty of care on the farmer/landowner to take reasonable actions to reduce the possibility of an accident. if a person on a public road had bad brakes in their car and killed someone then the guards would have them up for manslaughter.
Farmers are getting away with that for the minute.

An auld timer beside me says "accidents don't happen, they are caused"

Suckler · 02-03-2015 11:08am

Nekarsulm wrote: »

...And I can think of nothing more pointless than jailing someone who has just been bereaved.

Bullocks wrote: »

I could see it being very hard to convict anyone in a farming accident.

Conviction and jailing are two different elements - Farmer could be convicted - same as anyone running a business - but sentence may be non-custodial/suspended if a close relative/family member involved.

Muckit · 02-03-2015 12:27pm

Zr105 wrote: »

There's a whole pile of confusion over this because when all the stuff started about clamping down on be licenses one of the papers went and made a balls up job of reporting the weights etc and every one took it as gospel rather than actually looking up the facts and figures properly, which have been pretty much unchanged for a long time now.. Which is you can tow up to what the jeep is rated to pull once you have the eb licence and the trailer weight does not exceed 3.5ton

There's also a lot of confusion around tri axle trailers, a lot think you have to have an artic license for them but there doesn't seem to be anything in law to this regard atm.

BUT the thing is that you'd want to be filling a tri axle with feathers and helium to be under the weight classifications for jeeps. In reality if you filled a tri axle cattle trailer you will pretty much be over loading the axles, drawbar, hitch unit, nose weight on the ball hitch on the jeep, never mind the towing capacity.

The general rule of thumb is once ya can get them tipped up into it and the back gates wedged closed by putting a shoulder to it...'your sound .'

Disclaimer: the preceding statement could be a load of cock and bull!!

Tea 1000 · 02-03-2015 12:58pm

Nekarsulm wrote: »

Loads of farms with tractors not insured at all. Especially when they are only worth 1500 and never see the road.And I can think of nothing more pointless than jailing someone who has just been bereaved.

I'd agree. The death of a child is more than anyone should have to cope with, nevermind that you may have caused it. Closing the gate after the horse has bolted would be the only analogy.
What would be better is random saftey check-in's by some farm safety inspectors. And after a year or two introductory and informationary period, then convictions. And if a child is found on a farm in a potentially dangerous situation, then a hefty fine is imposed. Therefore a potential life saved rather than a second life ruined. Nothing makes people comply like the pocket being hit.
These days there's no real excuse for a 2 year old wandering around a busy farm yard. It can't be justified, no matter how much craic you were when you were younger...

Zr105 · 02-03-2015 9:59pm

Muckit wrote: »

The general rule of thumb is once ya can get them tipped up into it and the back gates wedged closed by putting a shoulder to it...'your sound .'

Disclaimer: the preceding statement could be a load of cock and bull!!

Yep that does pretty much sum it up alright.....

The HSA are out doing farm visits this weather, their not calling them inspections, just visits or something. They are supposed to be being fairly good about them, using the carrot method rather than the stick, but still giving you a time frame to sort anything that needs doing out. Much better way about doing it than landing in the yard threatening this and that because something is wrong.

Never any harm if you've some one or a discussion group around the yard to ask them if there's anything they see that they think you could change or improve for your safety. A fresh set of eyes may spot something you'd never see in million years because it's just how it is to you

davidk1394 · 02-03-2015 11:34pm

Is there stories about tacographs going into tractors in the future ? Or was it all just talk ?

Chemical Byrne · 03-03-2015 9:58am

Don't know about tacographs but I do know that, in the UK at least, there was talk of some legislation about limiting the number of hours per day a fella could spend in a tractor because of vibrations. How on earth such a thing would be enforced is beyond me.

Suckler · 03-03-2015 10:42am

davidk1394 wrote: »

Is there stories about tacographs going into tractors in the future ? Or was it all just talk ?

I'd say it was brought up get to lads using fast tracks for construction/haulage not agri use. Not as much of a problem in the last few years construction decline.

Reggie. · 03-03-2015 10:55am

Suckler wrote: »

I'd say it was brought up get to lads using fast tracks for construction/haulage not agri use. Not as much of a problem in the last few years construction decline.

I'd say the running on white diesel will be the thing that will come to the forefront

Tea 1000 · 03-03-2015 12:08pm

Chemical Byrne wrote: »

Don't know about tacographs but I do know that, in the UK at least, there was talk of some legislation about limiting the number of hours per day a fella could spend in a tractor because of vibrations. How on earth such a thing would be enforced is beyond me.

I'd say it'll only apply to contractors if it does come.

Chemical Byrne · 03-03-2015 5:57pm

http://www.fwi.co.uk/machinery/hse-vibration-rules-finally-come-into-force-in-july.htm

I've never heard of anyone being injured from vibrations from a tractor. Now I'm sure plenty of older tractors are real bone shakers but the vast majority of any way modern tractors are very comfortable.

It's pretty pointless anyway as it simply cannot be enforced unless they have a team of tractor police creeping around behind ditches with stopwatches only to jump out and do you. Maybe they'll disguise themselves as scarecrows.

have2flushtwice · 04-03-2015 11:31am

I used to hear lads saying to me my back is aching because I was driving all day.... they wouldn't do it a second day. common sense would surely kick in.

Tokyo · 04-03-2015 11:49am

I know plenty of machinery operators crippled with arthritis, because the discs in their backs have been rattled to dust over the years. That being said, that's the kind of thing that should be self enforced, rather than the 'elf n' safety' brigade trying to do it for you.

Nekarsulm · 04-03-2015 1:42pm

Jumping down from tractors and loaders, instead of climbing down the steps, is what buggers up your back and knees.
Ask any truck driver who has lots of "drops" daily.

Reggie. · 04-03-2015 5:47pm

Nekarsulm wrote: »

Jumping down from tractors and loaders, instead of climbing down the steps, is what buggers up your back and knees.
Ask any truck driver who has lots of "drops" daily.

Sprained an ankle more times by doing that

Chemical Byrne · 04-03-2015 6:16pm

I suppose as said, this would be more of a contractor's problem. Most actual farmers, livestock & dairy at least, would not be in the tractor all day every day. Might be the case with some arable operations though. But even in the case of large arable set ups, the machines are usually modern and well designed with comfort and ergonomics in mind.

onyerbikepat · 04-03-2015 6:24pm

A big difference between the old tractors where the seat was connected directly to the engine casing and the newer tractors with proper vibration insulation, dampers etc.

Chemical Byrne · 04-03-2015 6:50pm

^^
Yep, that is true but the thing is these days on most farms such a tractor would only be a yard tractor that gets intermittent use doing small bits and bobs around the place.
You're not going to be sitting in some yoke with a rickety Duncan cab doing 12 or 14 hour days 6 days a week.

AntrimGlens · 11-05-2015 3:11pm

Fair play to Dun an Gall for this and the GAA for recognising it.

diy.i.do · 26-03-2016 12:45pm

I've put in a request for a dedicated Health & Safety forum in "forum requests" if you think it's a good idea...please lend it your support. Thanks

The man in red and black · 26-11-2016 11:19pm

Article in the journal this week about the number of deaths on farms in Ireland this year so far. Tragic stuff and very scary how easy it can happen. Very sad to also read how graphic the descriptions were and how some people were days before being discovered.

einn32 · 02-01-2017 4:48am

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6epgzvXSD3s

Interesting video from West Cork.

Reggie. · 02-01-2017 11:00am

einn32 wrote: »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6epgzvXSD3s

Interesting video from West Cork.

Fair man to speak. Providing a great service there

ganmo · 02-01-2017 7:25pm

The year is only 2 days old and there's already been a farm death.

Reggie. · 02-01-2017 7:32pm

ganmo wrote: »

The year is only 2 days old and there's already been a farm death.

Yeah seen that. Waterford. Machinery...cattle?

ganmo · 02-01-2017 7:42pm

Reggie. wrote: »

Yeah seen that. Waterford. Machinery...cattle?

Wexford according to Agriland, no info on cause though

dzer2 · 03-01-2017 10:57pm

ganmo wrote: »

Wexford according to Agriland, no info on cause though

Terrible accident, farm well kept best or stuff everything maintained and any thing needed doing done.

16-01-2017 8:00pm

January 16th

No.2? for the year already.

https://www.rte.ie/news/2017/0116/845343-kerry-death/

KatyMac · 18-01-2017 10:07am

Was watching a program about dementia at the weekend. It was English based, but the main points would be the same as here. They were talking to members of farming families where the husband/father had dementia and was insisting on keeping going with the farm.
A son said that if you saw his dad driving a machine in the fields you wouldn't know anything was wrong, but he had sticky notes put up all around the cab to remind him what gears to use etc. Also said that the father had nearly run him over several times just not realizing he was there.
All this lead me to think of some of the farm accidents that have occurred in Irish farms. I wonder how many of them can be put down to a man (or, I suppose, woman) having a certain level of dementia - being able to function but not just totally in control. How many times have we heard of someone in their 70s and 80s being hurt or killed by cattle or machinery. How many of these accidents can be put down to something other than we, as farmers, not being careful?
In my own experience my father had dementia and I had to put locks/impossible to open catches on gates and shed doors, and I had to be very inventive to keep him from going into the fields on his own. When using a tractor round the yard stacking bales I had to keep watching that he wasn't lurking somewhere only to appear in front of me unexpectedly. I was calving a cow one evening and out he arrived because one of my kids said what I was at. Now the cow was not pleased to see him and I had to move fast to keep him out of the pen and get out safely myself. He got cross with me for not letting him help. It used to worry me a lot that he would spot a cow or think something was wrong and be gone before we would know.
The farming community sometime appear very careless just because the story behind the accident that is reported in the news doesn't have all the story. I know we can be a bit careless but ???

foxy farmer · 21-01-2017 2:39pm

The contractors around west cork are running a charity gokarting event in Watergrasshill today at 4.00.
Organised by a lad who was involved in a accident last year who nearly lost his hand in a combine but thanks to the West Cork Rapid Response his hand was saved. Its up on FB going as Battle Of The Contractors. Funds raised are going to Dr Jason Van der Velde and the West Cork Rapid Response. Many stories of farm accidents being attended by this vital service. Dr Jason will be giving demos on what to do in an accident during the event.

Bullocks · 21-01-2017 5:58pm

I'd say alot of accidents with elderly farmers could be dementia related unfortunately , its a brutal disease .
I know its probably not right to say and appreciate that it could put other people at risk but if a disease like that ever gets hold of me I'd much prefer to be kicked off this world early by a cow than labour on with my brain rotting more every week .
I reckon dementia sufferers have times of clarity when they realise their poor state and that might get them out more on the farm to get things done before the inevitable long winter indoors that will never end

15-03-2017 9:52pm

Two more today. One overturned a quad bike and another hit by a tractor.

http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/two-men-die-in-separate-workplace-accidents-on-farms-781674.html

06-05-2017 4:01am

Let me see, its been a few weeks since I looked at the accidents and there have been a few more fatalities Im afraid.

One man in his seventies in Upper Church Co. Tipperary yesterday, struck by tractor.

A man (76) from Co. Wexford on 27th April, cattle.
A man (60) from Kilkenny April 21st, attacked by cows.

A boy (4) from Fermanagh, april 7th, accident with JCB

A man (80) from Offaly April 5th, quad bike overturned.
A man (75) from Tyrone March 28th, bull
A man (20) from Wexford, March 15th, quad overturned
A man (70's) from Wexford, March 15th, struck by tractor
A man (50's) from Roscommon, March 10th, head injuries

Also notable, a dairy farmer in his 50s airlifted to hospital April 1st after being caught between a wall and a skid steer loader.

A lot of older men in the list.

KatyMac · 06-05-2017 3:55pm

That list only makes me more convinced about dementia playing a part - I know sufferers can function on certain levels but haven't the ability to get out of trouble when faced with animals or machinery.
Someone being careless certainly accounts for the little child, but that is 1:9.
And the 20 year old with the quad was quite likely carelessness too.

Farm accident stories...be careful folks!!

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