Spring brings an increased workload on farms across the country. From livestock to heavy machinery and equipment, farmyards can be dangerous environments. As always, it is important to make safety a priority.
The HSA has reported sixteen farm fatalities in 2023, with over half of victims aged 65 and over. We must remember that every work-related death is preventable. Livestock, machinery and buildings can be replaced along with other assets on the farm. The same, unfortunately, cannot be said for you and your family.
Now more than ever, it’s imperative to keep farm safety in mind. As all farmers know, no two days are the same on the farm. Below, we look at some tips on keeping your farm safe this spring.
Complete your Risk Assessment
The Farm Safety Risk Assessment document from the Health and Safety Authority provides a comprehensive list of both physical controls and behaviors to consider for implementation on farms.
You should complete or review your Risk Assessment document annually. This time of year, calves are being registered and Basic Payment Scheme applications are being completed - these are important checklists on every farm. Allocating some time to your farm risk assessment document while you’re completing farm-related paperwork is important.
Slurry
With the closed period for slurry spreading now passed and many tanks are almost full. This, coupled with the increase in fertiliser costs has resulted in a greater focus on slurry as a source of valuable nutrients. Slurry handling and spreading is a hazardous activity so please consider the following:
1. Preparation
Ensure that children, older adults and family pets are not in the vicinity of tanks when slurry is being agitated/spread.
2. Ventilation
Make sure all doors in the sheds are open prior to agitating (ideally on a breezy day) and do not re-enter sheds for at least 30 minutes after mixing has ceased. Slurry contains gasses such as methane, carbon monoxide, ammonia and hydrogen sulphide (which are highly toxic).
3. Organisation
Always remove livestock from the shed before agitating, close agitation points/manholes when unattended and ensure PTO shaft covers are fitted and in good order on the agitator and tank.
Calving
The calving season represents a time of the year when farmers are often stretched to their limit. With long hours and an increased workload, it’s important to ensure safety remains a priority.
1. Prepare
A good quality calving gate with a headlock is a must on all farms with a breeding enterprise for restraining the animal at calving or indeed any other work like dosing / inserting replacement tags.
It’s important to have the calving jack, gloves, adequate lubrication, ropes and iodine all to hand before the calving season starts. Good lighting and bedding are important too.
2. Know your limits
Never underestimate the cow/heifer and never overestimate your own ability. Be willing to ask for help.
3. Plan
Ensure that you can quickly and easily get out of a pen if an animal becomes aggressive.
4. Position
Your positioning is always important to stay safe while on a farm during calving season, here’s some key tips:
• Never put yourself between the cow/calf.
• Never put yourself between the calving jack and the wall.
• Never turn your back on the cow, and
• Make sure the cow doesn’t turn on you to get to a dog.
Cull
- You should never retain any animal that shows a propensity for aggression.
- Calving / Lambing: Broken sleep and tiredness are contributing factors to many accidents on the farm. Cameras provide an affordable solution to allow you to check animals from your home.
Tractors/Machinery
- With tractor values at a record high (even older tractors are now increasing in value), it’s a great time to ensure all controls are working properly (especially the handbrake) as well as fully functioning lights, mirrors and flashing beacons.
- When it comes to PTO, shaft safety covers typically range between €40 to €50. There is no excuse for any PTO on the farm to be uncovered.
- Quad bikes are another favourite machine to use on a farm. However, if not used responsibly, they can be lethal, so please ensure best practice is followed when operating a quad bike.
- Finally, please consider older people and children when operating machinery.
Manual Handling
Farms are more mechanised than ever so, where possible, keep lifting and manual handling to a minimum.
Lots of farmers have hoists or lifting tackle in calving pens to lift a slippery new born calf that needs assistance after being delivered.
If you need to manually lift something, you should:
- Assess the load first
- Use your knees/legs and not your back
- Be sure of your footing
- Park the ego and ask for help
Work at heights
Even a fall of a few feet can be catastrophic. For any work that needs to be completed at heights, you should consider using professional and insured contractors. Ask yourself: Is your time best spent roofing/repairing or taking care of your animals and crops?
If you must conduct work at heights, you should:
- Know your ability/ limits
- Use proper lifting platforms/ safety cage/ roofing ladder/ crawl boards
- Never work alone
- Never trust the ability of a roof to hold your weight
- Beware of skylights in particular
- Use appropriate PPE
Farm Insurance with AXA
At AXA, we’re proud to provide cover for over 30,000 farmers. Our dedicated farm insurance specialists have the right blend of industry knowledge and experience to help you get the most from your insurance cover. It means they can offer you tailor-made solutions that fit your needs to drive you and your farm forward.
Find out more about farm insurance. You can also call 090 643 5070 to talk to one of our dedicated agri-specialists.
