Kilcormac students win HSA award in Dublin Castle
A group of fifth year students from Kilcormac scooped an award at the Health and Safety Authority’s (HSA) Multimedia Farm Safety Competition yesterday.
At the awards ceremony in Dublin Castle, students from Colaiste Noamh Cormac battled it out among the eleven shortlisted finalists to win the ‘Relevance to farm safety’ category. Their project was about things that farmers say the whole time. A third year student from Bailieborough Community School, Co Cavan, Shane Farrelly, won the top prize.
The aim of the competition is to raise awareness of farm safety among post-primary students and to give a voice to young people in the national campaign to raise levels of safety on Irish farms. The project seeks to harness the powerful influence that young people have to effect change in safety behaviour among their own farming families and in the wider farming community.
Assistant Chief Executive of the HSA, Brian Higgisson praised the students. He said “congratulations to the Students from Colaiste Noamh Cormac and all of the finalists here today whose innovative multimedia entries promote the farm safety message in new ways.”
“Every year, farmers and their family members die on Irish farms through avoidable and preventable accidents. One hundred and six people have died in farm accidents over the past five years. This year, three people have died so far in farm accidents. Young people can influence safety behaviour in their own families and the wider community,” Mr Higgisson explained.
According to Education Manager with the HSA, Joanne Harmon, “this competition was about giving young people the opportunity to play their part in the national farm safety campaign. By working with multimedia of their choice, they produced farm safety videos, apps, animations, games and social media campaigns to add to the Authority’s on-going campaign to stop serious injuries and loss of life on Irish farms.”
Winners received specially commissioned trophies and the overall winner received a Go-pro camera. Finalists’ multimedia entries will be used to raise awareness of farm safety. The HSA multimedia project was carried out in partnership with Kilkenny Education Centre and Kids’ Own Publishing Partnership.