HSE Agriculture sample e-bulletin

Agriculture E-bulletin - Issue No. 8 (October 2009)

Welcome to the 8th edition of HSE's Agriculture E-bulletin.

The aim of the E-bulletin is to provide you with a free regular update of news and information from the Health & Safety Executive, keeping you informed of the latest issues affecting agriculture and it's associated industries.

Below, you will find brief information on a number of topics or issues, each linking to more detailed articles on our website - simply click on the links to read the full text or to access the linked documents.

Previously we have issued E-bulletins on a quarterly basis, in order to keep the information current we plan to issue future bulletins on a bi-monthly basis. We also welcome any contributions or suggestions for future articles. From time to time we may also send additional bulletins where there is a specific topic that we feel needs to be highlighted.

This bulletin provides a sample the wide range of information that can be found under 'What's New' on HSE's website. The site is updated daily.

visit: http://www.hse.gov.uk

Please feel free to use this information and pass it on, using your own networks.

MAKE THE PROMISE: Have you made the promise yet?

15,000 farmers across the UK have now made the promise to Come Home Safe. To make your promise and to get a copy of 'How lives are lost on British farms'

visit: http://www.hse.gov.uk/agriculture/makethepromise/index.htm

E COLI: Health Alert

Following the recent outbreak of E.coli 0157 linked to a visitor farm attraction in Surrey, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is issuing this alert to remind farmers about the sensible and practical steps they need to take to reduce the risk of ill health to visitors.

visit: http://www.hse.gov.uk/agriculture/articles/health-alert-ecoli.htm

LADDER EXCHANGE: Avoid falls from height

Don't chance it with a dodgy ladder; change it with a new and safer one!

Find out about HSE's Ladder Exchange Initiative and how you can exchange your dodgy ladder and get up to 55% off a new one.

visit: http://www.hse.gov.uk/falls/ladderexchange.htm

VOCATIONAL QUALIFICATIONS

Improving competencies and training: A health and safety seminar for agricultural businesses. Keynote speaker: Adam Henson, farmer and contributor to BBC TV "Countryfile" programme.

visit: http://www.hse.gov.uk/agriculture/articles/seminar.htm

FARMWISE: Be Farmwise

This comprehensive free publication has been updated. This is a 'must have' for everyone working on farms, whether employer, employee or self-employed, to help you identify the causes of injuries and ill health, eliminate hazards and control risks. It is now available online.

English version: http://news.hse.gov.uk/2009/05/15/farmwise-essential-guide-to-health-and-safety-in-agriculture/

Welsh version: http://news.hse.gov.uk/2009/07/02/farmwise-welsh-version/

Printed copies of this book can also be ordered from HSE Books: http://books.hse.gov.uk/hse/public/home.jsf

MACHINERY

Following a safety competition at the royal Highland Show in Scotland HSE issued a reminder to farmers and farm workers on the dangers of farm machinery, specifically power take-off (PTO) shafts which drive machinery at the rear of tractors

visit: http://www.hse.gov.uk/press/2009/coisco15009.htm

TRACTOR TRAILER BRAKING: Are your brakes working?

Do you really know if your trailer brakes are working properly? Poor trailer brakes are not only unsafe but could be costly to your business by seriously damaging the tractor braking system. A study recently carried out examines this issue in detail and explores ways of making cost effective improvements to trailers.

visit: http://www.hse.gov.uk/research/rrhtm/rr697.htm

CONTACT WITH OVERHEAD POWER LINES

Contacts with overhead power lines cause fatalities and serious injuries every year. Vehicles and equipment are also damaged or destroyed, all causing disruption to farming operations. Guidance on what to do in the event of a machine or load contacting live cables and emergency contact telephone numbers for all of the UK electricity operators are now available on the Energy Network Association (ENA) website.

visit: http://2009.energynetworks.org/storage/emergency-contact-nos_090624.pdf

Make a copy of the guidance and make a note of your local emergency contact numbers NOW and save it on all drivers' mobile phones, etc.... Ensure all staff have read the guidance and why not keep a copy in the cabs of tractors, loader, combines, lorries etc., You never know when it might be needed.... It could save your life!

Advice on avoiding contact with power lines and other precautions in relation to electricity is also given in Farmwise (pp37-40). See the link to Farmwise.

TREEWORK: Do you work with trees?

Working with trees can be dangerous. Most injuries happen when using a chainsaw to fell trees, but there are other causes for serious injuries in the arboricultural and forestry industries. The risk is potentially greater when less experienced, irregular users of chain saws are carrying out work, eg on farms, estate maintenance, fencing, landscaping and construction. This new website from the Health and Safety Executive tells you what the hazards are and how to avoid them. The site provides lots of practical advice, videos and case studies for workers and employers. If you work with trees then this is the website for you.

visit: http://www.hse.gov.uk/treework/index.htm

Agriculture H&S guidance - in addition to 'Farmwise' HSE's suite of free guidance covering a wide-range of agriculture health and safety topics and issues are also available on HSE's website.

http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/agindex.htm

You can view all of the past E-bulletins at: http://www.hse.gov.uk/agriculture/ebulletins/index.htm