Insurance claims of up to £12 million are now being experienced by NFU Mutual in N. Ireland, as a result of serious accidents on farms and in the countryside.
The shock revelations were made at a meeting of Fermanagh UFU last week (07/02/2014).
A farmer is now as likely to be killed or injured in a farm accident, than a soldier serving in Afghanistan losing his life or being seriously injured. That was the stark reality of the dangers on farms outlined to members of the Ulster Farmers Union in Fermanagh by Mr. Martin Malone, Regional Manager of NFU Mutual in Northern Ireland and Scotland.
In his address at a meeting last week, illustrated with graphic photographs, Mr. Malone said that while farmers make up less than 1.5 per cent of the working population, they contribute to 15-20 per cent of the fatalities.
He gave an example where a farmer was severely injured while erecting trusses on a new shed. He fell from a ladder and is now a paraplegic with an insurance claim of £6 million.
Another example where a member of the public was walking home drunk, climbed over a fence into a farmer’s field and fell into a pond where he was badly injured. There was now a £1 million claim.
One of the biggest dangers on farms were PTO shafts which could wrap up seven feet of hood string in one second. He said other farmers put their head into moving machinery and others used quad bikes without proper safety checks resulting in a huge quantity of claims.
Mr. Malone advised farmers to keep machines well maintained.
Working from heights was another area where there were a considerable number of accidents. One example was where bales fell from a height, hitting a farmer on the neck, resulting in a £5.5 million claim.
He told farmers, “Stop and think. For every £1 raised from premiums, £4.54 was paid out.”
He said farmers were in a similar insurance bracket to deep sea divers and soldiers serving in Afghanistan.
But Northern Ireland has 10-15 per cent higher costs of claims than anywhere else in the UK.
During the meeting, farmers called for grants to be introduced for safety equipment such as safety slats for slurry tanks.
Also addressing the meeting was Camilla Mackey, from the Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland. As a member of the team based in Dungannon, covering the Fermanagh area, she was familiar with farm types here.
She told the audience how since 2003, there had been 76 farm fatalities with five of them children aged 3-8 years, and the majority over 65 years.
The best year for the low number of farm deaths was 2010 with one fatality but in the two years following there were 12 in each year.
Camilla said that one of the problems was the severe weather conditions resulting in accidents.
The most common reason for farm accidents were vehicles and machines not properly maintained, followed by accidents involving animals and falls from height.
She said the use of telehandlers was increasing and operators need specific training with rear view mirrors needed to give operators a view one metre out, one metre up and 360 degrees visibility.
Regarding PTOs, Camilla said a half guard was worse than none at all. If a HSE inspector found a slurry tanker with a defect PTO, there would be an immediate prohibition notice issued, meaning the farmer would have to stop working until it was repaired.
Animals also posed considerable risk to farmers, especially cows after calving. She advised farmers that when checking animals, always carry a mobile phone and use a vehicle for refuge, planning an escape route.
While working from heights, she said farmers would need to be aware of corroded sheets.
With the slurry spreading season now open, she told farmers that when working with slurry, cattle should be taken out of the shed.
All farmers attending were issued with the farm safety pack with various leaflets using the Farm Safety Partnership theme, “SAFE, Slurry, Animals, Falls, Equipment.”
(Source – Impartial Reporter – Brian Donaldson – 13/02/2014)
MED Partnership as part of it’s 2014 programmes is placing heightened emphasis on Farm Safety. For example, in the area of Animal Safety, MED members can avail of a grant for a head scoop and backing bar.
