A man in his 80s has died in a farming accident, which occurred in Co Wexford on Monday morning, while another pensioner has also died following a separate incident at his workplace.
The Wexford accident happened near Adamstown, New Ross on Monday and a spokesperson confirmed that Gardaí at Duncannon attended the scene of an accident at approximately 11.20am.
The accident, which is understood to have involved a tractor, occurred at a farm in The Boola, Adamstown.
The man was pronounced dead at the scene and brought to Waterford University Hospital.
He is said to have been a member of an extensive farming family in the Adamstown area.
A post-mortem examination is due to be carried out and the scene at the farm has been preserved.
It is the first farming accident of 2017 and one of two workplace fatalities to occur today (2nd January).
In a separate incident, a 74-year-old man died following a workplace accident at Corby Rock Mill near Monaghan town on Monday.
He was taken to Cavan General Hospital where he later passed away.
Local councillor Paudge Connolly said: “It’s a tragic accident for any family and particularly after Christmas. I would like to extend my sympathies to the family at this difficult time”.
Last year 21 people lost their lives in farming accidents, including an 84-year-old man in Galway just days before Christmas.
On average 19 people die on Irish farms every year. Speaking to FarmIreland.ie recently Pat Griffin, Senior Inspector with the Health and Safety Authority of Ireland, with responsibility for agriculture said ongoing efforts by the HSA to reduce the number of farm deaths would continue to focus on education and raising awareness of the dangers on farms.
“We approach the agricultural sector in a more preventative role, different to other sectors.
“Inspections are never going to solve the problem. We have 130,000 farm units and with 2,500 or 3,000 farm inspections year it’s going to take a long time to visit every farm.
“Farm inspections are a way of sampling what is out there and seeing how things are and where the major risks are and try to develop systems that will help the farming community to deal with those risks.”
Source : The Irish Independent
