Farmers are using tractors "as babysitting facilities", the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) claimed yesterday, warning it was a practice which had to stop.
The authority's chief inspector, Mr Michael Henry, made the accusation before announcing that the HSA would be clamping down on unsafe farm practices this year after new figures showed there were more workplace fatalities in the agricultural sector than in any other last year.
The total number of farm deaths in 2001 was 24, seven of which involved children.
This was an increase on 2000 figures, when there were 16 farm deaths, two of them involving children.
Mr Henry said the authority would step up its farm safety campaign by carrying out 1,300 farm inspections this year in an attempt to increase radically the number of farms with safety statements.
"We will be focusing largely on child safety and safety statements, and in this regard I'd like to put the message out that parents of child- ren have got a clear responsibility in this area.
"Certainly it's not good enough that when a farmer is actually at work that he is using his tractor as a babysitting facility. Let's be honest, that's what's happening, and we feel we must get the message across that we will be enforcing legislation in this area," he said.
There have been 104 farm accidents since 1997, and 29 children have been killed. Many involved tractors.
Last year's accidents involving tractors included an incident in which a child was driving a mini-tractor when it overturned and pinned him underneath.
Another involved a child falling out the door of a tractor and being run over. The child had been sitting in the tractor cab beside its driver, and had fallen against the door handle, causing it to open.
The authority has made a video on farm safety for primary schools which will be shown later in the year.
It is also planning a dedicated Farm Safety Action Week on the theme of child safety.
Announcing the authority programme of work for 2002, the Minister for Labour, Trade and Consumer Affairs, Mr Kitt, said: "Twenty-four lives were lost in farming last year. That's almost one a fortnight, a terrible statistic by itself, but what is even sadder is that seven of these were children.
"I sincerely hope the message goes out loud and clear that this trend cannot be allowed to continue. It's time for all of us to work together. It's time for solutions."
There were a total of 61 workplace accidents last year, eight fewer than the previous year.
"Accidents in the construction sector claimed 18 lives, four of them children. There were also five deaths each in the mining/quarrying and transport sectors."
Cork had the highest number of workplace fatalities in the State, with 11 deaths. Dublin had the second-highest with eight fatalities, followed by Donegal where there were five fatal accidents at work. Only five counties - Galway, Leitrim, Meath, Laois and Westmeath - had no workplace fatalities.
Other sectors to be targeted for safety compliance by the authority this year include the construction and mining and quarrying sectors. Inspections of building sites will account for more than half the 12,035 inspections to be carried out by the HSA in 2002.
The authority also plans to develop codes of practice on preventing workplace bullying, and will hold a national conference on workplace stress in March.