Farmers tell of cattle accidents in new HSE video

HSE Press Release E217:02 - 25 November 2002

A new video in which farmers describe their real life experiences of the dangers from working with cattle is being promoted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) at the Royal Smithfield Show today.

In the past ten years, 27 people have been killed working with cattle and many others have been seriously injured. Speaking at the show, Linda Williams, HSE's Chief Inspector of Agriculture, said:

"Much of people's understanding about risks comes from shared experience. In this video, farmers and others tell their stories of handling cattle. We hope this will make other farmers think about how they handle their cattle and what they can do to reduce the risks."

The video, "Deal with the danger - Safe cattle handling", looks at the factors which affect the behaviour of cattle, sets out the features of good stock handling facilities and graphically illustrates what can go wrong by recreating some typical accidents.

HSE was joined at the event by Chris Broome, a dairy farmer from near Lichfield who had been injured by a bull. He said:

"My accident was the classic case of not thinking about the risks involved. I was separating a cow from the bull after service and he went for me. He butted me all the way down the passage and pushed me into the corner. I was completely helpless. Luckily the cow came back to see what was going on and he lost interest, otherwise I would have been killed.

"My message to all farmers is - don't get complacent, think about what you are doing. If you've got handling facilities - USE THEM - don't take shortcuts. If you haven't the right facilities, spend the money and put them in. They cost you a lot less than someone's life."

Mrs Williams continued:

"HSE recognises that farmers in the beef and dairy sector are under pressure, but they and their families will be under far greater pressure if they get seriously injured or killed. With fewer and fewer people working in farming, the need for proper facilities such as pens, races and crushes is more important than ever. Gone are the days when there were four or five people around the farm who could all pitch in to help with cattle handling. The same applies to housing for bulls and bull beef. Failure to get it right could cost someone's life."

Copies of the video "Deal with the danger - Safe cattle handling" ISBN 0 7176 2512 5, priced at£25.00 plus VAT are available from HSE Books. Copies of the free leaflets "Handling and housing cattle" (AIS 35) and "Preparing cattle for slaughter" (AIS 34) are also available from HSE books or can be downloaded from the HSE web site at http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/agindex.htm

Press enquiries

All enquiries from journalists should be directed to the HSE Press Office