An investigation has been launched by the Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSE NI), following the second fatal farm accident involving livestock in the space of three days in the West Tyrone area. On Thursday 10 May 2007, the same day as the funeral of a man who was gored and killed by an out-of-control bull on an out-farm near Loughmacrory, a man in his 70's was killed in a similar accident involving a cow near Carrickmore. Police in Omagh received a report on the sudden death of the pensioner at a farm on the Creggan Road at 9:45 pm.
The HSE NI has said the tragic death of both men was a sad reminder of the dangers of working with livestock. Inspector Kevin Campbell said, "Unfortunately it is a sad coincidence that these two incidents have happened so quickly to each other in the same area. What we will be looking at in any work related incident would be to see what happened and how things possibly went wrong. That would be in relation to any potential breaches in legislation or regulations."
Statistics in the Guide to Health and Safety In Agriculture - a document published by the HSE NI a few years ago - state that half of deaths associated with the handling of livestock on farms in Northern Ireland were directly attributed to working with bulls. More recent figures have reinforced the potential risks of handling such larger animals. Of the 29 people killed on Northern Ireland farms since 2004, nine have been linked to livestock, with a high percentage of those fatalities related to bulls.
