BEARA student Cathal O’Sullivan was announced the overall winner of the ABP Farm Safety Award at the 2021 BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition (BTYSTE) with his innovative project, titled ‘Preventing machine accidents with warning systems,’
Cathal impressed the judges with his innovative and forward-thinking project that is designed to prevent accidental injuries and deaths from farm machinery.
Cathal, from Beara Community School in Castletownbere, designed a device that alerts users when they are too close to spinning machine parts, preventing them from accidentally coming into contact with them.
For the seventh consecutive year, ABP Food Group has sponsored the Farm Safety category. The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine reported that there were 19 fatal incidents on farms in 2020, with three of these being children under the age of 18, and nine being farmers aged 65 or more.
Annie Graham, ABP’s livestock strategy manager, said: ‘On behalf of everyone in ABP, I would like to congratulate Cathal O’Sullivan on his successful award submission. His innovative project embodies the spirit of this award, finding new solutions to make our farms safer. We would also like to thank all of the entrants for their submissions, and for their role in helping to increase awareness around this very important issue.’
