Gardaí have confirmed that a woman in her 50s has died following a farm-related incident in Ballymote, Co. Sligo yesterday afternoon (Saturday, June 29).
Emergency services, including members of An Garda Síochána, were called to the rural area of Clooncose shortly after 4:20pm.
“The woman had suffered serious injuries after being struck by a vehicle while loading turf onto a trailer,” a garda spokesperson said in a statement.
“The woman was pronounced deceased at the scene.
“The local coroner has been notified, and the woman’s body has been removed to the mortuary at Sligo University Hospital for a post-mortem examination.
“The scene is preserved for forensic examination by Garda Forensic Collision Investigators, and inquiries are ongoing,” the spokesperson added.
The Health and Safety Authority (HSA) this week said that almost three-quarters of work related deaths in 2023 were in the agriculture sector.
The HSA carried out a total of 1,348 farm inspections in Ireland in 2023, with almost half of these being carried out during targeted inspection campaigns.
In its 2023 Annual Report, the authority said that four risk-specific inspection campaigns were carried out in the farming sector, one of which was focused on tractor and quad bike safety. The other three were livestock safety, working at height, and farmer health and wellbeing.
The annual report states that farmers were encouraged to consider the risks associated with these issues and to prepare to manage these risks prior to encountering them during this farming year.
Farmers were also encouraged to make proper use of the Farm Safety Code of Practice as a means of managing risk and injury prevention throughout the year.