Launching Farm Safety Live at the Tullamore Show 2022 were the main organisers of the event (Left to Right) Pat Griffin, HSA, Ciaran Roche, FBD, Joe Molloy, Tullamore Show and Peter Slattery, FRS Training.

Interactive 'Farm Safety Live' event returning to Tullamore Show

Published: Mon 18 Jul 2022, 5:38 PM

Interactive 'Farm Safety Live' demonstrations will be returning to the Tullamore Show on Sunday, August 14.

The demonstrations, which offer practical tips to get people thinking more about safety, will be officially opened at 10.30am by Agriculture Minister Charlie McConalogue and Martin Heydon, the Minister of State with special responsibility for farm safety.

'Farm Safety Live' was developed by FRS Training, The Health and Safety Authority (HSA) and FBD Insurance, in conjunction with the Tullamore Show.

Organisers of the event are asking people to always ‘think farm safety’ when approaching tractors, quads, machinery, and before handling livestock.

Practical tips will be demonstrated and discussed which can be applied to the farm every day. Everyone is invited to take part in the interactive displays throughout the day.

Unfortunately, the agricultural sector is still the most dangerous working environment in Ireland, reporting the highest number of fatalities each year.

Farm fatality statistics reported by the HSA over the last 10 years show that 197 people lost their lives due to a farm accident. A total of 87 of these accidents involved vehicles, 16 involved machinery, and 38 were related to livestock, with the young and elderly tending to be the most common victims.

Pat Griffin of the HSA said, "Tractors, Quads and other farm vehicles are involved in the vast majority of farm fatalities. It’s appropriate that we will focus on farm vehicle safety in our demo area at Farm Safety Live. People and large farm vehicles are a potentially deadly mix.

"Working together we can make farming a safer business and protect ourselves and our loved ones."

Peter Slattery, FRS Training added: "Demonstrations provide a proven way to influence people's behaviours. Actively observing routine farm practices allows farm family members to stand back and see the devastating consequences of some common actions when things go wrong.

"Each year a new generation is exposed to the ever-present risks on family farms. Continuously highlighting the dangers, together with providing training aimed at developing a risk averse culture on farms is essential.

"The Tullamore Show is a great way to maintain a focus on these key messages as large numbers of farm families will attend the event."

Chelsey Cox McDonald, Secretary of Tullamore Show, commented: "We were delighted to have Farm Safety Live return this year.

"It is so vital and important to showcase this aspect as part of the show programme. We would ask everyone to 'think farm safety' and eliminate the risks where possible. It is heart-breaking to comprehend the number of families affected each year by tragedies on farms."

This short video gives an outline of the upcoming demonstrations: