A SHARP rise in the number of people killed on Irish farms last year has been described as "shocking and unacceptable" by the Health and Safety Authority.
Figures published by the authority yesterday showed farm deaths almost doubled in the past year to 21 from 11 in 2007.
While there was a 15 per cent drop in the overall number of workplace fatalities to 57 during 2008, the agriculture sector accounted for over one third of all deaths from working accidents.
Two of those killed on farms were children under the age of 15 and five were farmers aged over 65, the authority said.
Minister of State for Labour Affairs Billy Kelleher, who comes from a farming background, called on all farmers to make safety and health a priority in 2009.
"While I am pleased at the overall reduction in workplace deaths, we need to see significant improvements in the agriculture sector," he said.
"Farmers must make safety and health part of their daily working lives. I want everyone in farming when they are going about any task to take a few minutes to assess any risks and to take preventative action," he said.
"Indeed, this applies to all workers and employers across the whole range of workplaces. A simple thing like this could save your life," he said.
In 2008 the authority carried out over 1,300 inspections on farms and launched a number of initiatives aimed at reducing accidents in the sector, the most recent of which was a new Farm Safety Action Plan launched by him.
"Safety and health is a core part of the culture in certain sectors but others, including farming, have to change their mindset.
" Our job is to make safety and health a priority for every employer and employee in the country regardless of their occupation or sector in which they work," Health and Safety Authority chief executive Martin O'Halloran said.
"The country is going through a difficult economic period but cutting corners in relation to safety and health is not an option. Resources allocated to the safety, health and welfare of employees is a good investment which can lead directly to increased profits and reduced costs associated with lost production, absence from work, retraining, insurance premiums and compensation claims," he said.
The number of deaths recorded in the construction industry which is traditionally a high-risk area, was 15 last year, down three on the previous year. Agriculture, hunting and forestry, recorded 21 deaths in 2008 while the figure for the previous year was 11.
There was a major drop in the number of deaths in the fishing sector which fell from 12 in 2007 when there were a number of trawlers lost off the southeast coast, to just one last year.
In mining and quarrying, one person died, and in the manufacturing sector six people lost their lives in 2008, compared with four in 2007.
In the transport, storage and communications sector there were three deaths, down from nine in the previous year and there were no deaths in real estate, renting and business, where two deaths happened in 2007.
A county breakdown of the 57 fatalities at work showed Cork had the highest with 13 deaths while Dublin recorded only five deaths, the same number as Tipperary and Meath.