This article is from page 19 of the 2012-05-15 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 19 JPG
LIFE IS returning to normal today for the family of an East Clare farmer who, after becoming trapped in his own slurry tank on Saturday, was rescued without suffering serious injury.
The man, who is in his 40s, was cleaning the slatted house on his farm in Aughrim, just outside Scariff, on Saturday when a manhole cover gave way.
The man fell into the 10-foot-deep slurry tank which, luckily for him, was only half-full at the time. The man was discovered by his mother when she heard him shouting and contacted the emergency services.
Two neighbours were able to res- cue the man before the arrival of the emergency services, lowering a ladder into the pit and allowing the man to climb free. The fire service’s first responders assessed the man in his home and established that he did not require hospitalisation.
According to East Clare farmer and Clare President of the ICMSA, Martin McMahon, it will take the man and his family some time to get over this traumatic experience.
“It is a big shock to the whole community. When you hear about an incident like this, with a man falling into a slurry pit, well my sympathies do go out to the man and his family,” said Martin.
“I am sure they are all overjoyed that he was able to come out of this alive but his confidence will have taken a knock.
“The biggest problem for farm safety in Clare now is farmers work ing on their own. Too many farmers have no choice but to be alone. They could be out of contact with anyone for six or eight hours at a stretch and, no matter how good or how careful you are, something can always go wrong.
“There is always a risk, you can always slip. That’s why it is so important for farmers to keep their mobile phones with them at all time. A lot of farmers in Clare are part-time farmers at the moment, so there may not even be a neighbour in the vicinity to hear you. You could be working three or four miles from the nearest other person, and that is dangerous.”