North-South scheme targets farm accidents

Forty-one children have been killed in farm accidents in the whole of Ireland in the past six years, new figures released by …

Forty-one children have been killed in farm accidents in the whole of Ireland in the past six years, new figures released by the health authorities on both sides of the Border show.

A new cross-Border initiative to highlight the scale of the problem was introduced last weekend.

The figures, drawn up by the Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland and the Health and Safety Authority in the Republic, show that two children have died in farm accidents on the island so far this year.

The figures show that 30 children died on farms in the Republic in the last six years and 11 on farms in the North in the same period. Of the 41, 18 were under five years of age and two out of three deaths resulted from accidents involving tractors or machinery.

READ MORE

Drowning in slurry was found to be the second most common cause of death.

The new cross-Border working group hopes that by sharing expertise in the area joint strategies aimed at reducing the number of accidents can be developed.

Mr Aidan McTiernan, senior inspector with the Health and Safety Authority in the Republic, said: "Tractors, machinery and slurry are potentially lethal, especially where there are children around, and I would urge all farmers to ensure that children keep to a safe play area during the summer holiday period."