Agriculture eBulletin issue No.23: June 2012

The busy summer months are upon us and, hopefully in the good weather, the cutting and baling of hay will be at the forefront of activities.  Please ensure that you check your equipment before you start and that the bales are transported and stacked correctly.  In this edition, we feature the story of Robert Field, which shows the devastating consequences of what happened to him when stacking the hay went wrong.

We also feature a number of incidents that highlight the need to properly maintain and use equipment and vehicles on the farm.

There is also a link to a BBC article on Britain’s oldest farmers.  Make the Promise to Come Home Safe and we can all live and work to a ripe old age!

When it goes wrong

21-year-old Robert Field was stacking bales on a neighbour's farm in Burnley with a colleague when the bale grab on the telehandler cracked as it struggled to put in place the topmost bale on a stack. Robert was looking at the machine, driven by his colleague, when he was hit by a one-ton bale from six metres high. It broke his back, fractured his jaw and severed a main artery in his leg. Doctors expected him to die. Robert survived, but surgeons were forced to amputate his leg above the knee and he was left permanently paralysed from the waist down.

Robert wants to share his story as a warning to others.

• Robert's story

Consultation Document on the Review of Approved Codes of Practice

HSE is seeking views on proposals to review its portfolio of ACoPs  to update and improve them as recommended by Professor Ragnar Löfstedt in his 2011 independent review of health and safety legislation. Professor Löfstedt concluded that Approved Codes of Practice (ACoPs) should be simplified to make it easier for employers to understand and meet their legal obligations and so reduce the risks of over-compliance.  "Reclaiming health and safety for all: An independent review of health and safety legislation" was published in November 2011.  The Government accepted this recommendation and committed HSE to reviewing all of its ACoPs.

• The Government's response

Following the initial phase of the review, proposals for 30 ACoPs - including the "Preventing accidents to children in agriculture: Approved Code of Practice" - were published on Monday 25 June 2012. The Consultation Document, together with details of the arrangements for the consultation exercise can be found on the HSE website. 

• ACoP Consultation

Consultation ends 14 September 2012.

Preventing or Controlling Ill Health from Animal Contact at Visitor Attractions – Industry Code of Practice

Every year millions of people visit premises where members of the public, particularly children, are encouraged to view or touch animals.  A new Code of Practice has been produced by the industry and is aimed at the owners, operators and managers of such visitor premises.

• The Code of Practice

Incidents

Whenever you use any equipment or vehicle, on the farm, you must make sure that it is regularly maintained and is in a serviceable condition.  All guards should be in place on machinery and the correct equipment should be used for the job and in the correct manner.

These incidents show what can happen if this is not done:

A Church Broughton farmer has been fined after an employee suffered life-changing injuries when his poorly maintained and defective quad bike overturned at a farm in Derbyshire.

• Church Broughton farmer - Incident details

A Montrose farming partnership has been fined after two agricultural workers were severely injured when a telescopic handler went out of control, fell down a steep bank and came to rest at the top of a cliff.

• Montrose farming partnership - Incident details

A North Devon farming business has been prosecuted for safety failings after a worker fractured his skull falling from the prong of a forklift truck at an animal feed mill.

• North Devon farming business - Incident details 

A horticultural business in Southampton has been prosecuted for safety failings after a worker injured his hand on an unguarded machine.

• Horticultural business in Southampton - Incident details

Too young to retire!

For an increasing number of people changes to state and company pensions mean that kthe road to retirement is getting longer. However, in agriculture, many men and women are already working well into their 70s and even late 80s. The BBC has been looking at this topic; read what they have to say by visiting their website.