Farmers in Carlow & Kilkenny urged to look at how safely they perform routine tasks

Farm safety is a lifestyle not a slogan.

That’s the message to Farmers in Carlow and Kilkenny this week to mark the start of the fifth annual Farm Safety Week.

The annual Health and Safety Authority workplace fatality statistics report showed a high number of farming workplace deaths in 2016.

That’s despite a drop of over 20 percent in workplace fatal accidents across all sectors for the year.

Local farmers are being encouraged to take some time during this week to assess the safety of routine tasks.

The campaign will focus on a different risk each day, including machinery and transport, falls, livestock and slurry, and child safety on farms.

As part of the week long initaitve, a number of retailers are offering discounts on safety equipment