Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 20 May 2004
40 Mr. Penrose asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the measures he is taking to improve health and safety on farms; if he has held discussions with the Health and Safety Authority on this issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14740/04]
View answerI am concerned with the level of safety on our farms. The number of people injured or killed on farms remains unacceptably high. It is imperative that all farmers acknowledge that farming is a hazardous occupation and one that carries specific risks. Under the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 1989, the Health and Safety Authority is the State body charged with overall responsibility for administration, enforcement and promotion of workplace safety and health which includes farms.
The HSA set up a farm safety action group in February 2002. Its terms of reference include "the development of a national action programme, co-ordinating the actions of the representative organisations and assigning tasks". The group produced and published the Farm Safety Plan 2003-2007 in April 2003. My Department has been represented on this group since its inception and has played an active part in the development of the plan.
The plan sets specific targets against a base year of 2001 including a reduction by 50% in farm fatalities with no child fatalities, a reduction in the farm accident rate to less than 1,600 per annum and an increase to 50% of farmers complying with health and safety legislation Other objectives are: to introduce health and safety training for farmers, farm workers and students at second and third level; to ensure all primary schools show and discuss the contents of the CHILDSAFE video and CD-ROM prior to school holidays; that a minimum of 1,000 farm inspections should be carried out by HSA inspectors each year; that farm safety promotional campaigns such as Farm Safety Week, and Child Safety are continued and other appropriate campaigns are undertaken; that research be carried out in order to identify methods of improving attitudes and awareness regarding to farm safety; and that a database on all farm accidents be developed.
My Department is continuing to be proactive in the area of farm safety. A module on health and safety was included in the 20-hour training course in 2002 and it is mandatory for all applicants to the rural environmental protection scheme, REPS. I launched the annual Farm Safety Week in March 2003.
The introduction of properly designed safety features in farm buildings, other farm structures and farm layout is critical in reducing farm accidents and the new DAF specifications for farm buildings, published in November 2003, incorporate enhanced safety features as minimum specifications. These specifications are used for all buildings constructed under on farm investment schemes and indeed should be used for all farm building constructions. The on farm investment schemes also allow for grant aid, up to 40% of costs, for additional safety elements made to existing farm structures, for example, provision of safety fencing around external slurry and effluent stores and the provision of safety agitation points outside existing buildings with the consequential elimination of dangerous internal agitation points.
I remain totally supportive of the HSA's efforts to reduce the numbers of farm accidents and its programmes to increase awareness in the area of health and safety on the farm.
