Farm Safety Hub

Up to 50% of workplace fatalities take place on a farm

The IFA wants its members to be able to work and come home each evening. We want Irish farms to be amongst the safest places to work which is why we have created a dedicated resource to support and improve safety awareness amongst farmers and farm families.

We work with other stakeholders in the sector in a  co-ordinated effort to unite our voices in reducing farm accidents and tragedies. 

Farm Safety Week 2023

2023 marks the eleventh annual Farm Safety Week.  The collaborative campaign, initiated by the Farm Safety Foundation (Yellow Wellies) in the UK and led by the IFA within Ireland brings together farming organisations from Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Northern Ireland Britain on the topic of farm safety.  

Eleven years on farming still has the poorest safety record of any occupation, why is this and more importantly what are we going to do about it?

Farm Safety Video 2023

For the past number of years, to mark the week, IFA has identified a survivor of a farm accident and encouraged them to tell their story to raise awareness on this issue. Our farm accident survivor this year is Ella Casey from Ballymahon in Co. Longford.

Ella survived a farm accident where she was knocked unconscious with gases following agitation in the dairy shed she was working in. Despite leaving the 40 minutes to pass, Ella was the victim of lingering gases. Watch Ella’s story below:

We are very thankful to all those individuals who appeared in various video campaigns since the beginning of the Farm Safety Week initiative to highlight the importance of farm safety.   For those who have survived, we thank you for your bravery in recalling those events and we forever remember those who were lost to us.

IFA Farm Safety 2023 Leaflet

Farm Safety Heroes

IFA and Farm Safety Foundation nominate Embrace FARM – Brian and Norma Rohan as Farm Safety Heroes 2023

Brian and Norma Rohan from Shanahoe, County Laois, Ireland founded Embrace FARM  in 2014 after Brian lost his father Liam in a tragic farm accident the previous year.

Liam Rohan had been a popular and respected farmer & had represented Ireland many times at the World Ploughing Championships. Unfortunately, while carrying out repair work on machinery, Liam suffered a severe blow to the head resulting in a head trauma and lost his life days later.

Despite experiencing an outpouring of grief and love from the community, friends and family, Brian and Norma were surprised to find that there was little or no emotional or practical support networks available to farm families in similar circumstances.

This led to the creation of Embrace FARM, a support network for farm families who, like Brian and Norma, have lost a loved one or suffered serious injury in a farm-related accident. The organisation obtained charitable status in 2017 and is the first of its kind for the farming community in Ireland.

For the past 10 years a cross-border Remembrance Service is held in memoriam to the lives lost in farm accidents and family members or close acquaintances of the deceased can send the name of their loved one to be remembered

Quad Safety

The use of ATV/Quad Bikes is becoming more and more common on farms and forests and for many other sectors such as road works, airports, military ATV’s/Quads are essential pieces of equipment. However, there have been a significant number of fatalities involving quads and the potential for a serious injury or fatality when using a quad is high.

Check out our Quad Safety Awareness document here

Animal Handling

HSA’s Safe Handling of Cattle on Farms Leaflet – Safe Handling of Cattle on Farms Information Sheet

Child Safety

Where we understand how a farm can have such appeal to a young child, we must always be mindful that a farm is not a playground.  For those times when children might be visiting the farm ensure they are supervised and only exposed to jobs that are age appropriate.

Farm Safe Schools – Champions Top Farm Safety Tips

Health and Wellbeing Tips

The IFA have put together a guide for farmers around the stress. Stress plays a huge part in farm safety and this guide gives tips on identifying and coping with stress. See the full guide here.

The Health and Safety Authority are highlighting farmers’ health and wellbeing as a crucial aspect to farm safety. Here is their Guide to Staying Healthy While Farming.

HSA Code of Practice

The Health and Safety Authority are the ruling body regarding safety in the workplace including farms.  This Code of Practice applies only to on-farm work activities and their potential impact on children and young persons.

Visit the HSA website to access their full resources aimed to educate and grow awareness regarding children’s safety on and around a farm.


Farm Safety Statistics

Source: Health and Safety Authority

Farm Safety Offers

We would like to thank Homeland and Gardiner Grain for taking part in Farm Safety Week by offering discounts.


IFA Farm Safety Updates

Burning Agriculture Green Waste Information Note
Farm Safety
Renewed Farm Safety Appeal as Restrictions Set to Remain in Place
Farm Safety
Farmers Urged to Be Extra Vigilant About Farm Safety During Covid-19 Crisis
Farm Safety
Your Health Is the Most Important Asset on the Farm
Farm Safety
Farmers Urged to Be Particularly Vigilant During Spring Calving – IFA
Farm Safety
Farmers Urged to Take Safety Precautions as Slurry Spreading Commences
Farm Safety
IFA to Roll out Peer-to-Peer Farm Safety Learning Initiative in 2019
Farm Safety
Livestock
Farm Safety Week Concludes Focussing on Livestock Safety
Farm Safety
IFA and Irish Cancer Society Encourage Farmers to Follow Sunsmart Code to Reduce Risks of Skin Cancer
Farm Safety
Farm Safety Week Day 4 – Consider Child Safety
Farm Safety
IFA Urges Older Farmers to Adjust Working Practices and to Be More Aware of Their Limits when It Comes to Health & Safety
Farm Safety
Farm Safety Week – Day 2 Focus on Machinery and Transport
Farm Safety