120 places are on offer for farmers to attend a free farm safety workshop in the Ulster Farmers Mart, Enniskillen on Tuesday, November 5 2013.
The workshop has been organised by the Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSENI) with the support of the Farm Safety Partnership. It will feature practical demonstrations by qualified instructors from the farming industry on some of the most common accidents that can take place on farms.
The focus will be on reminding farmers to STOP and THINK SAFE about the four main dangers on farms – Slurry, Animals, Falls (from height) and Equipment – SAFE.
Each session will run for around 25 minutes and will cover topics such as:
· Livestock Handling
· Slurry Safety
· Tractor Maintenance
· Telescopic Handlers
· Child Safety
· Quad Bikes
· PTO Guarding
· Falls From Height
Head of HSENI’s Farm Safety Team Malcolm Downey said:
“I hope local farmers will sign up for this free workshop as it provides them with a great opportunity to get expert advice and instruction on how to safely carry out many tasks on their farms. Unfortunately, we are still coming across potentially fatal situations when we visit farms. This was obvious during the recent PTO Safety Week, where nearly three quarters of farms visited during the week had issues with PTO guarding which could have resulted in someone being injured or killed”.
“Farming accidents are not inevitable – they are avoidable. By putting in place sensible and practical measures that cost little or nothing, and with a little bit more time and care given to considering the potential dangers, farmers can develop a culture of safety-first on their farms.”
Registration begins 10:30am and demonstrations will run until 2pm with lunch included free. Places will be allocated on a first come basis. Contact Hazel Irvine at HSENI on: 028 9024 3249 or by email at: hazel.irvine@hseni.gov.uk
(Source – Impartial Reporter – 24/10/2013)