Farming I 2024 Farm Safety Week
HSENI supports The Farm Safety Foundation in 2024 Farm Safety Week
On the opening day of Farm Safety Week (22-26 July), the Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSENI), as a member of the Farm Safety Partnership (FSP), has given its full support to the Farm Safety Foundation (FSF) in its efforts to reset the way farmers approach farm safety and risk-taking.
In this, the twelfth year of Farm Safety Week, this year’s figures are likely to show no drastic improvement which means that actions and attitudes of those working in the industry need a major rethink.
Speaking at the launch of Farm Safety Week, Robert Kidd, Chief Executive of HSENI, said: “Farming is an integral part of the economy and the community here in Northern Ireland. However, it has again proved to have the poorest safety record of any industry in Northern Ireland. This is unacceptable, and it is very important that we continue to work with our farm safety partners to try and improve safety standards.
“Attitudes and behaviours around farm safety and mental health are changing but the pace of change is slow –too slow for the families of those we have lost in the industry and too slow for the thousands of farmers suffering every day with long term ill-health, serious injuries, or poor mental health. We want to see an end to lives lost and farm families left in pieces due to a needless farm accident.”
This year’s Farm Safety Foundation’s objectives are:
- To drive improvements in the health and wellbeing of those living and working in the sector;
- To encourage those living and working in farming to take concrete actions to improve their attitudes to farming safely in the UK and Ireland;
- To highlight, not only the excessive numbers suffering fatal injuries and accidents on UK & Ireland farms but the dangers of ignoring near misses at work;
- To signpost farmers and farm workers to the resources available to help improve farm safety; and
- To shine a light on Farm Safety Heroes who are working to drive a positive change in the industry.
Further information on farm safety can be found at the following link:
Notes to Editors:
- The Farm Safety Partnership comprises the Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSENI), the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA), the Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU), NFU Mutual (NFUM), the Young Farmers’ Clubs of Ulster (YFCU), The Farm Safety Foundation (FSF), the Northern Ireland Agricultural Producers Association (NIAPA) and Rural Support. It is tasked with assisting Northern Ireland’s farming community to work safely and tackle the problem of work-related fatalities and injuries on farms.
- The Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSENI) is an Executive Non-Departmental Public Body, sponsored by the Department for the Economy (DfE).
- HSENI is the lead body responsible for the promotion and enforcement of health and safety at work standards in Northern Ireland.
- For media enquiries please contact HSENI Press Office on 028 9024 3249 or email media@hseni.gov.uk. For out of office hours please contact the Duty Press Officer on 028 9037 8110.
