Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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259. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the number of fatal accidents in workplaces caused by animals, in particular fatal accidents on farms due to livestock in each of the years 2009 to 2018. [17517/19]

Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)
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The Health and Safety Authority (HSA) tracks and analyses trends in fatal farm accidents and has produced detailed charts indicating the prevalence of fatalities due to livestock. The charts at the link show that livestock related deaths make up 16% of all workplace deaths in the Agriculture Sector.

Further analyses of the farm fatalities involving livestock shows that Cow/Heifer attacks account for the highest proportion (55%), which in the main occur during the calving period.

Bulls represent 15% of Livestock deaths as do Cattle, with Horses making up 9% of livestock deaths.

The HSA continues to focus on Livestock issues within agriculture. The HSA has developed an extensive suite of guidance materials and runs extensive safety campaigns including specific livestock safety campaigns. In February of this year, the HSA, in conjunction with the Irish Farmers Association, ran a two week safety inspection campaign and promotional activities focused on livestock handling facilities on farms. The HSA’s inspection campaigns indicate that livestock handling facilities are generally good with the risks of injury arising when handling facilities are either not used or not used properly.

The HSA will continue to focus on the encouragement of safe livestock management across all of its farming related activities in 2019. 

Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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260. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the number of non-fatal accidents in workplaces caused by animals, in particular non-fatal accidents on farms due to livestock in each of the years 2009 to 2018. [17518/19]

Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)
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The reporting of accidents in the workplace which result in an absence and the prevention of an employee from performing their normal work for more than 3 consecutive days is a statutory requirement under the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (Reporting of Accidents and Dangerous Occurrences) Regulations 2016 (S.I. No. 370 of 2016). This applies to all workplaces regardless of size, enterprise or sector. The agriculture sector is predominately made up of self-employed and sole traders who unfortunately do not always report their accidents or injuries to the Health and Safety Authority (HSA).

The HSA has reported that on average there are approximately 100 non-fatal accidents in the agriculture sector reported to them each year. Teagasc (the Agriculture and Food Development Authority) run the National Farm Survey, which routinely includes questions on occupational related accidents. This survey generally shows that there are between 2,500 and 3,000 serious non-fatal accidents on farms each year.

The agriculture sector data from the National Farm Surveys indicate that there has been a steady increase in the number of non-fatal accidents involving Livestock, rising from 23% of all non-fatal accidents in 1996 to approximately 43% in 2017. This increase in the proportion of accidents relating to livestock is largely in line with the expansion in the Agriculture Sector and the significant increases in livestock numbers particularly in the Dairy and Beef sector.

The graph at the link shows the results from the National Farm Survey for 1996, 2001, 2011 2017 regarding non-fatal accidents.

The HSA continues to focus on Livestock issues within agriculture and has developed an extensive suite of guidance materials as well as running extensive safety campaigns including livestock safety campaigns.