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News release

10 January 2011 - NR 01/11

‘Attitude of urgency’ needed on evidence of workplace death stats

A leading health and safety body today called for an ‘attitude of urgency’ towards improving worker protection, after shocking figures revealed a doubling of work-related deaths across Ireland’s agricultural industries.

Health and Safety Authority (HSA) statistics show some 29 lives were lost across the country’s farming, forestry and fishing industries in 2010, compared with just 13 in 2009. And of the 2010 total, 25 were on farms alone.

Now, in a bid to begin to reduce those figures for the year ahead, the Ireland Branch of the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) will launch a new Rural Industries Section in 2011. Operating as a dedicated section as part of the Ireland Branch as a whole, the committee will organise events, seminars and meetings aimed at better equipping businesses and health and safety professionals to make work a healthier and safer place.

Although the number of people employed in the industry dropped by over 10,000 from 2009 to 2010, farm fatalities actually increased 127 per cent. This means the fatality rate increased even more dramatically than the number of deaths initially suggests.

Declan Gibney, Ireland Branch of IOSH Chairman, said: “These figures truly are shocking and are a sad indictment of health and safety across the agricultural industries. On this evidence, IOSH is adopting an attitude of urgency in striving to reduce the toll, and we believe the Government, businesses and other organisations should be doing the same.

“IOSH’s new Rural Industries Section will provide a hub for professionals working across the farming, forestry and fishing industries to share ideas and best practice, to help find real solutions to how we can start to turn the tide. We hope it will make a difference to workers on the frontline.”

IOSH is also urging the Government to ensure that, despite its austerity measures, it maintains the Health and Safety Authority’s (HSA) funding to help it safeguard workers’ lives.

Mr Gibney added: “The HSA will not be able to safeguard workers’ lives without adequate funding, so we want the Government to show it understands the value of good health and safety by protecting that budget.

“With a change of Government in the spring, we would also urge that it doesn’t lose momentum in the fight to reduce workplace deaths.”

Across the board the total number of work-related deaths rose by seven per cent from 43 fatalities in 2009 to 47 in 2010 – farming, forestry and fishing comprising 62 per cent of that toll. This is despite the fact that employment dropped from 1,938,500 to 1,859,500 over the same period.

“Given the downturn and the fact that means that there are fewer people in work, it’s shocking that the figures should rocket so high.

"In times of declining employment you would expect the number of work-related deaths to fall in line with that, so it is disturbing to see that not only has the number increased in itself, but proportionally the fatality rate has also risen. This makes figures all the more tragic and disappointing,” said Mr Gibney.

HSA end-of-year fatal injury statistics for 2010 and Central Statistics Office (CSO) Ireland show:

The total number of work-related deaths rose from 43 to 47 from 2009 to 2010 – an increase of 8.5 per cent.

There were 25 fatalities in farming - 29 across agriculture, forestry and fishing in total. 2008 recorded 22, with 13 in 2009.

In 2010, the total number of people in employment was 1,859,500 and in 2009 there were 1,938,500.

In 2010 84,900 people were employed in the farming industries, sliding from 97,200 in 2009.

- Ends -

Notes for editors:

IOSH is the Chartered body for health and safety professionals. With more than 40,000 members in 85 countries, we’re the world’s biggest professional health and safety organisation.

We set standards, and support, develop and connect our members with resources, guidance, events and training. We’re the voice of the profession, and campaign on issues that affect millions of working people.

IOSH was founded in 1945 and is a registered charity with international NGO status.