Mr. Martin O'Halloran:

I thank the Chairman for the invitation to address the committee. The remit of the Health and Safety Authority is set out in the Health, Safety and Welfare at Work Act 2005 and the Chemicals Act. For the purpose of this discussion, the primary legislation is the 2005 Act. We regard vehicles as constituting a place of work in many cases. We work collaboratively with the Road Safety Authority and with the Garda Síochána. Vehicles used in a workplace constitute a place of work and also constitute machinery or equipment that can be used. In that case we seek that they would be used and maintained so that they do not present a risk to people at work.

The focus this morning has been largely on agricultural vehicles such as tractors. Agriculture represents approximately 6% of the national workforce but it accounts for 47% of annual workplace fatalities. The likelihood of being killed in a workplace accident is infinitely higher in the agriculture sector than in any other sector. Even among the traditional high risk sectors such as fishing, mines, quarries, construction, agriculture is now the leading sector for workplace accidents.

It is important to consider the causation of accidents. The HSA notes that of the 22 accidents in the agriculture sector last year which resulted in fatalities, four related to tractors. Over the past ten years, 39 people have been killed in agricultural tractor incidents - about four people a year are killed. For example, people are being struck or run over by tractors; crushed under tractors and tractors overturning; crushed between a tractor and an unattached stationary object; crushed between a tractor and trailer. We do not have the evidence to indicate whether this is definitively related to the maintenance of the tractor. We are concerned that some maintenance issues have arisen. Equally we note that deaths due to vehicles in agriculture - it could be any other vehicles over the past ten years - total 54 while deaths due to machinery is 35.

The Health and Safety Authority carries out approximately 3,000 farm safety visits every year. The HSA inspectors examine the machinery and discuss the situation with the farmer. Probably the single most common cause of accidents with machinery used in agriculture is defective coupling, where trailers or other items of equipment are attached to the tractor. It is when the machinery is being coupled onto the three-point linkage or detached from it that a large number of very serious accidents occur.

The HSA has a work-related vehicle safety programme which is cross-sectoral. We carry out a farm safety partnership programme which runs over a number of year. We work collaboratively with all the other agencies and stakeholders involved in agriculture, the farming media, Teagasc, the farming contractors association, the veterinary union. We work with any sector which has a reason to visit a farm.

This is a brief overview of our work. I will deal with other issues if they arise in questions. I believe the submission will be published.