Hopefully the weather is now being kind to you and the harvest is finally well under way. At this busy time remember to plan the work you have to do and don’t take any shortcuts that could lead to you taking unnecessary risks.
In this edition, we look at overhead power lines (OHPL) and the severe consequences of coming into contact with them. We also cover HSE’s new Health and Safety Toolbox, which is aimed at easing the burden on smaller business’ and also the introduction of Fees For Intervention, HSE’s cost recovery from those companies who break the law.
HSE has issued new guidance on working safely near overhead power lines. The guidance gives advice on reducing the risks of electric shock and is aimed at everyone in agriculture who may work near these lines.
We have also published a new case study video of the tragic results when the discharge auger, on a combine driven by Ed Pybus, came into contact with an overhead power line.
Health and safety management should be a straightforward part of managing your business as a whole.
The Health and Safety Toolbox: How to control risks at work, has just gone live on HSE's website and is available free of charge. It involves practical steps that protect people from harm and at the same time protect the future success of your business.
We’ve been busy updating our SHAD diary, please take a look and why not come along to one near you?
The diary page also contains a link to further information on what you can expect when you come to a SHAD and the views of some farmers who have already attended one.
The HSE cost recovery scheme, Fee for Intervention (FFI), will start on 1 October 2012.
FFI recovers costs from those who break health and safety laws for the time and effort HSE spends helping to put matters right such as, investigating and taking enforcement action.
Law-abiding businesses will be free from costs and will not pay a fee.
New guidance has been published on HSE's website setting out how the scheme will work in practice. Developed in consultation with representatives from industry, it explains how FFI works and includes examples illustrating how it would be applied.
Farmers Weekly recently ran a number of articles with Health and Safety themes. The first covered the results of a survey they carried out on farm safety knowledge.
The second article covered the alarming number of fatalities in farming.
An East Yorkshire farm owner has been fined for a serious breach of safety law after a 20-year-old worker suffered severe injuries when he fell 4.5 metres through a roof light.
A Kent farmer has been prosecuted for storing and using an illegal pesticide that was sprayed on a crop of pears.
A mushroom company has been fined after a visit by HSE inspectors found dangerous conditions in a factory on an industrial estate near Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk.
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