Reviewing safety on farms a ‘must-do’ this August

By Paul Mullins (Education Officer, Teagasc Athenry)

AUGUST is a time of year which can provide a little breathing space on some farms after a hectic spring and summer and before getting into the intensity of the autumn with weaning, preparing cattle for sale and possibly dealing with difficult ground conditions later on (though this is hard to envisage at the moment).

It could provide an opportunity to take a small step back and have a look at some of the issues that require attention, with farm safety being a major one of these.

Farming accounts for approximately 40 per cent of all workplace fatalities, yet only accounts for a relatively small proportion of the working population.

There are also huge numbers of serious farm accidents that occur each year, many of which result in life-changing injuries. Based on these figures an examination of safety on the farm is a must-do in August. So how might you go about it?

One thing that could be done is to walk around the farm and look at it through the eyes of a stranger, or better yet, have someone not familiar with your farm walk it with you. When we spend a lot of time in a place we become ‘blind’ to what’s going on around us.

A different perspective can highlight many simple issues that can be addressed, especially where it relates to general tidiness, how gates are secured, tractor and machinery condition and so on.

We sometimes might have an attitude in relation to our farmyards and farms of ‘that’s just the way it is’. Well, with a different perspective maybe it doesn’t have to be that way.

In relation to tidiness, take a couple of hours and make a concerted effort to tidy the farmyard. Materials that need to be stored, store them neatly, but items like scrap metal, broken gates, old ring feeders, old unrepairable machinery, sort them into an area for recycling.

Look at gates around the yard and on the farm in general. Are they swinging freely when opened? If not, why not?

Are we relying on baling twine to keep gates closed? It’s great in an emergency but tying and untying twine going into fields causes unnecessary time delays, and perhaps stress. Look at where you might be doing this and come up with a solution.

When it comes to machinery, check for cleanliness. I’m talking about windows, can you see out properly? A drawback of larger tractors is that visibility can be reduced. Don’t reduce it further by having widows muddied over.

Check lights, beacons, brakes, handbrakes. Is the tractor due a service? Maybe now might be a good opportunity to get this sorted. A well serviced tractor is less likely to give trouble, this reduces the likelihood of a breakdown, meaning less stress.

The same goes for ongoing maintenance and checking of machinery. Continue to maintain machinery throughout the season in terms of cleaning, greasing, replacing flails, tines, checking PTO covers and guards.

Each of these items are potential hazards and as we know farm vehicles and machinery account for almost 50 per cent of farm fatalities, so let’s keep focusing on these.

As the breeding season has ceased on many cattle farms, the stock bull can be under-employed at this time of year. As always, use a vehicle when herding when there is a bull present.

If breeding has ceased perhaps keep the bull in a well-fenced small paddock with a dry cow or two for company. This way your interaction with the bull can be minimised at a time of year where sometimes they can be more aggressive.

Again, where livestock are concerned, think back to last winter. What issues did you come up against that in retrospect you feel may have compromised safety or caused stress on the farm?

Is there an issue with the calving gate or pen dividers? Put in place a plan now to repair or relace as necessary.

How is the condition of the yard surface, is there adequate lighting in the yard for those long winter nights? Get these issues sorted now. It’s too late when the stock are in the shed.

Just looking back across all of the above, perhaps it is time to revisit your farm risk assessment document produced by the HSA or fill out a new one.

Fill it yourself, but as stated at the outset, perhaps having a second pair of eyes will help highlight issues that you might overlook because of familiarity. Be safe this autumn.