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LARRY MACDOUGAL/The Canadian Press/Press Association Images

Farming is most dangerous job as workplace deaths increase

More than one-third of those killed were working on farms, figures from the Health and Safety Authority show.

THERE WAS A significant rise in the number of people killed by accidents in the workplace last year,  with by far the largest number of accidents happening on farms.

New statistics from the Health and Safety Authority show a 15 per cent increase in deaths from workplace injuries, with 55 people killed in 2011 against 48 the previous year.

More than one-third of those were fatally injured while working on farms. Twenty-two of the deaths happened among people working in crop and animal production.

The HSA has recently launched a high-profile advertising campaign, urging farmers not to take risks while working and to be careful around high-powered machinery.

Martin O’Halloran, CEO of the safety body, said: “This is the second year in a row that the total number of workplace fatalities has increased. The fact is that behind these statistics there are human tragedies, lives lost and families ruined.”

The trucking and warehousing industries accounted for the next largest number of deaths, with eight people killed in Irish workplaces.

Six people were fatally injured on construction sites, and five in the fishing industry.

Among the safest sectors were financial, administration, education and IT services, in which there were no deaths.

Despite this increase, the rate of deaths in the workplace has fallen gradually since 2002, when it was roughly three in every 100,000 workers.

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3 Comments
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    Mute Howye Lads
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    Nov 11th 2016, 7:55 AM

    If I’d a hay-penny for ever time I heard that headline!

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    Mute Donncha Ó Coileáin
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    Nov 11th 2016, 11:15 AM

    No. 1 – The headline basically says ‘normal weather expected’. I usually get annoyed with the ‘How is this news?’ crowd. But, really?

    No. 2 – It says cold, then the article says it will be from 7-14 degrees.

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    Mute Les Behan
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    Nov 11th 2016, 11:54 AM

    @Donncha Ó Coileáin: Absolutely :

    Headline on The Journal : “The weekend is set to be cold and rainy.” Source : Met Eireann.

    Headline on The Indo : “Rejoice: An end to the frost with dry, mild weather on the way.” Source : Met Eireann.

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    Mute ed w
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    Nov 11th 2016, 11:57 AM

    Weekend cold and rainy. Well except Sunday which will be unusually mild. Who writes this stuff ????

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    Mute Val Martin
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    Nov 11th 2016, 12:13 PM

    So, where is all the Globull warming then? Do you know that Oisin Coughlan’s Irish branch of Friends of the Earth gets 400,000 euros of you money every year. For nothing in a country with such poverty.

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