The Health and Safety Authority (HSA) will begin a national farm safety inspection campaign on Monday (March 31) focusing on the safe use of tractors, machinery and other work vehicles on farms.

With 28 vehicle-related deaths over the last five years, the authority said that it is vital that farmers and contractors prepare for the associated dangers.

Ger Hartnett, senior farm safety inspector with the Health and Safety Authority, said that the campaign aims to advise farmers to "plan ahead for the safe use of tractors and machinery"

He added that farmers should ensure "all those working on farms have the necessary training and competence to do the job safely".

"Safe systems of work must be planned in advance. Training should take place if it hasn’t already, particularly for new operators, and any necessary maintenance or repairs, especially in relation to hitching, steering and braking systems, must be dealt with as a priority," he said.

HSA statistics show that the majority of injuries and fatalities associated with tractors and farm machinery involve a combination of operator behaviour, poor maintenance and a lack of training, combined with the presence of children/elderly near the work activity.

In the five year period between 2020 and 2024, 28 people were killed in vehicle-related incidents on farms with twelve of those associated with tractors.

Excavators/loaders, trailers and quad bikes (ATVs) accounted for eleven and of the four child deaths in this five year period, all were associated with vehicles.

During the campaign, HSA inspectors will be checking the following:

Is work activity planned in advance?
Have all drivers or operators received adequate instruction and training?
Are brakes, handbrakes and parking brakes working properly?
Are cabs, doors and steps in good condition?
Are tractor mirrors clean, not cracked and set correctly?
Do all operators of vehicles have the correct PPE (personal protective equipment)?
Is work organised to avoid the presence of young children or other vulnerable individuals such as elderly family members?

“Serious injuries and deaths can be prevented if farmers plan their work in advance," Hartnett said.

"Crucially, all family members and visitors, especially young children, must be kept well away from work activity," he added.

Further information in relation to tractor, machinery and vehicle safety on farms is available on the HSA website.