The Importance of a Tidy Farmyard
Having a well kept farmyard is beneficial to both work efficiency and safety. Over the past 10 years the HSA reported 29 farm deaths due to collapses and falls. The major areas associated were slips & trips, bales falling and falling from a height. Penny Gavin Teagasc Walsh Scholar has tidy tips
During Farm Safety Week we shouldn't forget that having a well kept farmyard is beneficial to both work efficiency and safety. Also a tidy, well maintained farmyard is pleasing to the eye and shows a sense of pride in our place. It is a pleasure to go out to work in a tidy farmyard. Make a special effort this summer to do that tidy-up that so often gets put on the long finger!
Over the past 10 years the HSA have reported 29 farm deaths due to collapses and falls. The major areas associated with this were slips and trips, bales falling and falling from a height.
Tidying the farmyard includes
- Recycling farm plastics
- Have tools organised and to hand
- Have a clear tractor floor, especially around foot pedals
- Use a tool box in the tractor
- Keep tractor steps clean
- Park machinery with handbrake on and keys out
- Cracks, Uneven surfaces and unlevel ground should be repaired to avoid trips
- Careful and neat storage of tyres, twine, machinery parts - such as bale handlers and loaders, fencing posts, wire, pipes etc to avoid trips and a hide-out for vermin
- Repairs to gutters and downpipes - to avoid creating slippy areas around buildings
Penny Gavin outlines what you can do to avoid accidents on your farm by being organised, in this video
For further Farm Safety information check out the Farm Safety Week Section on the Teagasc Website.
All this week on Teagasc Daily we are following the themes of Farm Safety Week on a Daily basis so be sure to check in with Teagasc Daily each day for more
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