GROSVENOR FARMS LTD, COGENT BREEDING LTD AND REAY FOREST ESTATE SUPPORT HSE ON AGRICULTURE CHILD SAFETY MESSAGE

HSE press release: E129:03 - 11 July 2003

Grosvenor is supporting the Health and Safety Executive's (HSE) initiative on Child Safety in Agriculture to raise awareness to carers and prevent loss of life or injury of children.

A combined effort across three businesses in Cheshire and Scotland over the summer will include visits to local schools to brief teachers and show a video to children - especially those of primary school age - handing out activity packs and running picture competitions.

Grosvenor is also actively promoting the HSE activity packs with its own staff throughout the three businesses who have children who may be at risk.

As part of the Grosvenor initiative, David Craven, the health and safety representative and building maintenance manager of Grosvenor Farms Ltd, a 6,000 acre farm in Cheshire which produces milk, cereals and potatoes, will be visiting Tarporley C.E Primary School, Park Road, Tarporley, in East Cheshire. The visit will take place on 15 July 2003 from 10:15 to 11:00. and Mr Craven will give a presentation to 145 pupils and handout activity packs.

Special arrangements have been made to supply copies of the video to all Local Authority education departments. Copies of 'Safe! - Helping children to stay safe on farms' price £25.00 + VAT are also available for purchase from HSE Books.

Notes to editors

1. HSE launched a school pack 'Safe! - Helping children to stay safe on farms' on May 20th (E084:03). Forty-two children (under 16 years of age) were killed in the past ten years (1991/2-2000/1. Three of them were classed as employees and 39 as members of the public. Over half (57%) of the fatalities to members of the public are children. Being struck by a moving vehicle was the main cause of death to children accounting for 15 deaths (38% of the child fatalities). Other major causes include asphyxiation or drowning (nine deaths - 23%) and contact with moving machinery (four deaths - 10%). Of the 39 child deaths, those aged between one and five years were most at risk. Twenty children (51%) fell into this age group. Ten children were aged between six and ten years and the remaining nine children were aged between 11 and 15 years.

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