Safety measure funding aims to reduce serious injuries
Darren Atkins of the Health and Safety Authority, Teagasc director Professor Frank O Mara, and Martin Heydon TD, minister of state at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine with special responsibility for farm safety
THE reintroduction of a national safety measure aims to protect farmers from serious or fatal injuries.
The will provide a financial contribution to participating farmers, covering 60% of the eligible cost of power take-off (PTO) shaft covers.
From 2014 to 2023, farm vehicles and machinery accounted for more than half of all fatalities on farms due to entanglement in such shafts.
Minister of state Martin Heydon said he was “reopening” the measure to help “protect farmers and everyone involved in operating PTO-powered equipment from serious and fatal injuries”.
The minister continued: “This measure will support farmers in the purchase of new PTO shaft covers.
"Unsafe practices must be addressed and through this measure I am raising awareness of the risks posed by operating PTO-powered machinery that has defective or missing PTO shaft covers.”
