This article is from page 51 of the 2007-05-01 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 51 JPG
WITH the arrival of the good weath- er, the urge to get out in the field and get some work under the belt is erowing all the time. It is appropriate then, at this time of increased activi- ty, to remind farmers, and especially young farmers, of the importance of insuring their safety while working and operating machinery.
With this in mind, the FRS Net- work Training Services, in conjunc- tion with Teagasc and IFA Skills Net, will hold a one-day training course in Ennis on Friday, May 11 and in Limerick on Wednesday, May 9.
The training courses, which are en- titled “Young Agricultural Drivers’ Safety and Skills Awareness’, were
launched last week by the Minister for Labour Affairs and Clare Gener- al Election candidate, Tony Killeen.
The majority of young agricultural drivers are allowed on the public roads with just a basic provisional licence, without any formal safety awareness training. These drivers carry a huge responsibility for public safety while on the road.
‘They are responsible for being in control of very large modern tractors with large implements attached, such as Silage trailers laden with anything up to 20 tonnes of grass, and it’s all rush, rush, rush and long hours dur- ing the busy harvest or sowing time,’ said a spokesperson from the FRS.
“Unfortunately, this all adds up toa very serious accident waiting to hap-
pen and, in order to minimise this possibility, FRS along with Teagasc and IFA Skills Net have joined forc- es to put on the courses in the two fo) tonal she
“If there is a good uptake this year, we see the idea being rolled out na- tionwide next year.”
Each course has been designed and will be delivered by experienced tu- tor Val O’Connor and there will also be experienced drivers available on the day to deliver invaluable practi- cal driving instruction.
The courses are designed to create safety awareness for all agricultural drivers, be they silage workers, hay- making contractors or tillage work- ae
Items covered will include law, work
equipment, use on the road and dan- gers in the yard, tractor maintenance, checking trailers, lights and tyres and driving and tipping trailers.
More information can be got by contacting the FRS Network Train- ing Services in Limerick on 063 y1Uelelon