Mr. Conor O'Brien:

I agree with the Deputy on PTO shafts. There have been huge changes in recent years but we are still seeing accidents involving PTO shafts, which is where the PTO cover is damaged or missing, having been taken off for maintenance and not replaced. On any of the inspections I have been on, it is a major point of focus for the inspectors. They will look at all of the machines and make sure the PTO shafts are in place. We encourage that through all of the promotion we do at the ploughing championships, the Tullamore Show and information on our website. We encourage people to check PTO shafts because they are incredibly dangerous.

In terms of vehicle injuries, as I said earlier regarding the 44% of injuries on farms over the past ten years, just under half of the 191 deaths involve vehicles and machinery. We encourage safe practice in the use of machinery and tractors, in particular at busy times such as harvesting. We do a lot of work with farmers across the community and all stakeholders in terms of vehicle safety. It features when we are present at things like the ploughing championships. For example, last year we did a lot of work on quad bikes because we were implementing the new legislation. That was a big feature. In other years, we would make sure to cover things like tractor safety. A lot of work is done across these areas because the use of these vehicles is a high-risk activity and a key focus for the authority.