Written answers
Wednesday, 14 January 2015
Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation
Farm Safety
Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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245. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if he will provide in a tabular form the amount of money spent by the Health and Safety Authority on farm safety initiatives in each year since 2011; the amount of inspections in each year since 2011; his views on the growing number of farm fatalities in 2013 and 2014; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1123/15]
Gerald Nash (Louth, Labour)
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Table of Expenditure on Farm Safety Initiatives 2011 to 2014.
| Year | Expenditure * |
|---|---|
| 2011 | €264,481 |
| 2012 | €589,870 |
| 2013 | €449,669 |
| 2014 | €327,953 |
| Total | €1,631,973 |
Table of HSA Inspection/Investigations in Agriculture 2011 to 2014
| Year | No. of Agriculture Inspections or Investigations |
|---|---|
| 2011 | 3,058 |
| 2012 | 3,136 |
| 2013 | 2,748 |
| 2014 | 2,644 ** |
| Total | 11,586 |
I am particularly concerned at the high level of farm fatalities and it goes without saying that safety in agriculture will continue to be a high priority for the HSA and for the Government in 2015.
I have addressed this issue on a number of occasions at events such as the Ploughing Championships, the HSA/NISO Conference and, most recently, with my EU level colleagues at the December EU EPSCO Council.
I met with Commissioner Marianne Thyssen in early December and we discussed the increased rate of fatalities in on farms and how to strengthen links between mainstream occupational, safety and health (OSH) policies and other EU policies in fields such as agriculture that have a high workplace accident record. I am pleased to see from recent reports that Commissioner Hogan is considering how CAP incentives might be linked to compliance with farm safety practices.
Looking at what we can do nationally, the HSA adopts a broad based partnership approach to maximise its impact across the agriculture sector. To this end the Farm Safety Partnership (FSP) includes among others representatives from all the farming organisations, the Department of Agriculture and Teagasc as well as my own Department. An example of this collaborative approach is the launch in April 2014 by the HSA and Minister Coveney of the "Safe Slurry handling" DVD. This DVD was produced in partnership with Irish Rural Link and this was made possible through a €50k grant payment from my Department to the HSA.
I welcome the new approach to enforcement by the Authority under which it will (on a case by case basis) consider going straight to prosecution on certain matters which involve a very high risk of serious injury or death e.g. unguarded PTO assemblies.
The HSA will also be extending BeSMART – the free online risk assessment and safety statement tool to the agriculture sector in 2016, facilitating easy compliance with requirements and raising awareness of a risk based approach to health and safety.
Finally, the advisory and enforcement activity of the HSA complements the suite of programmes developed by the Department of Agriculture. For example the Farm Safety Scheme which opened in October last year and aims to improve the standard of safety on Irish farms by providing grant-aid for a number of specified investment items.
Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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246. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the discussions he or officials in his Department have held since 2011 with the Department for Agriculture and Food in relation to farm safety issues; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1124/15]
Gerald Nash (Louth, Labour)
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I am particularly concerned at the high level of farm fatalities and it goes without saying that safety in agriculture will continue to be a high priority for the HSA and for the Government in 2015.
As the HSA and the Department of Agriculture and Food have a common interest in promoting safe working in the agriculture sector opportunities for collaborative action are proactively sought and maximised.
In May 2014, prior to my appointment, a joint statement was issued by Minister Bruton and Minister Coveney highlighting farm safety and the unacceptable level of fatalities. At that time both Ministers appealed to farmers and all involved in the agriculture sector to increase their safety awareness and ensure that safety became part of a daily routine.
Since my appointment I have attended the National Ploughing Championships where I met farming representatives and discussed the prevention of farm accidents. I also assisted the HSA and Teagasc in launching their joint Farm Safety and Health Training Programme. At this launch I emphasised the good working relationship between the two state agencies working towards a common goal.
Last December the Minister for Agriculture and Food, Simon Coveney TD and I attended the launch of “Too Cold for Sharks”, a children’s publication for families involved in fishing. The educational approach used to develop this publication followed the model of the successful farm safety awareness initiative by the HSA in 2013. The launch of the children’s book in December 2014 presented a further opportunity to discuss farm safety issues.
The Farm Safety Partnership (FSP) is the platform for developing coordinated initiatives on awareness raising, safety promotion, research, etc, and includes among others representatives from all the farming organisations, the Department of Agriculture and Teagasc as well as my own Department. Positive outputs from this collaborative approach include the launch in April 2014 by the HSA and Minister Coveney of the "Safe Slurry handling" DVD. This DVD was produced in partnership with Irish Rural Link and this was made possible through a €50k grant payment from my Department to the HSA.
I would like to assure the Deputy that my Department and the Department of Agriculture and Food will continue to engage proactively on this issue with a view to reversing the current trend in unprecedented levels of farm fatalities.
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