The Health and Safety Authority conducts a proactive inspection campaign in the agriculture sector each year, targeting 1,000 farm inspections, with 856 completed in 2003. Typically 80% of inspection visits are focused on compliance where machinery, livestock handling, manual handling, working at height and child safety are addressed, 14% require follow-up inspections and 6% involve complaint and accident investigation. Each year approximately 20% of farms inspected necessitate enforcement action.
In 2003, the percentage of farms inspected which had safety statements was 18.5%. The low level of compliance by farmers with the legal requirement to prepare a safety statement has been recognised by the Health and Safety Authority. In November 2003 the authority, using a partnership-based approach, undertook a specific and unique farm safety initiative in this regard. The core of the initiative, containing four modules, awareness, direct contact, information and support, was a farm safety self-assessment document produced by the authority with 192,000 copies distributed by post to the majority of the farmers in the country. This was facilitated by the Department of Agriculture and Food. This campaign has generated a significant response from the farming community. In excess of 10,000 farmers indicated to the authority that they have completed the farm safety self-assessment document for their farm in the last six months, and the initiative has received the active support of members of the farm safety partnership. The take up by farmers of the farm safety self-assessment approach to raising farm standards is a significant part of the Health and Safety Authority's programme of work, supported by the sectoral representative farm safety partnership, in 2004.
