EDITORIAL: Should Jeremy Clarkson apologise over his disregard for farm safety?
Health and Safety Authority reported 12 fatal farm workplace accidents in 2022, of which two occurred in Tipperary.
Jeremy Clarkson’s farm safety leaves a lot to be desired but is it indicative of attitudes to safety on farms?
In season two of the hit show Clarkson’s Farm on Amazon Prime, the TV personality and former Top Gear presenter, gets into deep water with locals over the development of a restaurant on his farm and the disruption his popular Diddly Squat Shop is causing.
It is a cracking show and season two is much better than season one already. But one incident involving his “Lambo” tractor and a cultivator is quite telling.
It’s not that he didn’t know to put weights on the front of his vehicle with a heavy machine on the back, it’s when to counteract the weight, experienced farmhand Kaleb Cooper got on the front of the machine to stop it from lifting at the front and almost flipping over.
Jeremy also drove it two wheeled half way out onto a main road and a car had to swerve to avoid it. Watching it, it was about the only part of the show that just wasn’t funny.
It was reckless. It was stupid. And the clip was preceded by clips of him falling asleep during a farm safety video.
It was hard to believe an experienced farmer like Kaleb went on to the front of the tractor to keep it down so Clarkson could drive it out onto the road and get out of the field.
That’s not to say this type of behaviour goes on in farms around Ireland. But is it indicative of an attitude of getting a job done?
That sometimes reckless or dangerous things are done for the sake of getting the task finished.
It is quite possible and all farmers need to be mindful and take lessons from this small act on Clarkson’s Farm.
Have you ever taken such a dangerous shortcut to solve a problem or finish the work faster?
The Health and Safety Authority reported 12 fatal farm workplace accidents in 2022, of which two occurred in Tipperary.
This represents half (50%) the total of all workplace fatalities (26) in 2022.
Major causes associated with farm workplace fatalities to-date in 2022 are farm vehicles and machinery which accounted for 59% (7).