FARMERS have been strongly advised this week to diligently check out all safety, insurance and liability issues before embarking on construction projects on their yards and farms.

The issue has been brought into focus over recent weeks with two men appearing in court in Co. Clare following a fatal farm accident in January, 2021.

The two men – of them the contractor and the other a farmer – have been charged with breaches of the Health and Safety Act, following the death of a young man at Kilkee.

He died while a new slatted tank was being excavated. During this work, ‘a pre-existing wall’, fell on top of him – the victim had only been married 12-months previously.

Both the farmer and contractor face charges in relation to the unsafe excavation of the site with allegedly no adequate measures in place to prevent the collapse of the sides of the site being excavated.

Galway IFA Rural Development Chair, Peter Gohery, said that it was a terribly sad case where a young person had lost his life – he advised farmers to prioritise issues such as safety and insurance cover when embarking on any construction project.

“With any construction project on farms, the farmer is regarded as the client in terms of the HSA (Health and Safety Authority) and the farmer is legally obliged to employ competent designers and contractors to carry out the work,” said Peter Gohery.

He also pointed that it was specifically stated in the HSA guidelines that ‘clients’ needed to appoint – in writing – a Project Supervisor for the Design Process (PSDP) as required.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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