BLITZ ON FARMS IN WORCESTERSHIRE AND HEREFORDSHIRE TARGETS SEASONAL WORKERS

HSE press release: E159:03 -14 August 2003

Farmers and gangmasters who employ seasonal agricultural workers in Herefordshire and Worcestershire can expect a visit from a health and safety inspector to check their workplaces.

A team of agricultural inspectors from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) will be out and about in south Herefordshire and south Worcestershire at the end of August and in early September. They will be carrying out field checks and yard inspections as part of an inspection programme aimed at reducing the toll of accidents and ill health in the agricultural sector.

The inspectors will be paying particular attention to workplace transport, manual handling, and welfare facilities for workers engaged in seasonal harvesting activities.

Dr Phil Smith, HM Principal Inspector for Agriculture, said: "These checks are being made to ensure that adequate precautions are taken by farmers to protect the health and safety of all workers, including those who may be employed by them for only a few months during the year.

"We are particularly keen to see the arrangements farmers have in place to ensure that overseas workers, who may not speak English, are given necessary information, instructions and training in a way that they are able to understand, so as to enable them to do their work safely.

"Although the inspectors will offer help and advice, they will not hesitate in taking enforcement action to deal with any matter of evident concern which could affect the safety of farm workers or any other person."

During the visits the inspectors will also check welfare arrangements and safety issues, such as gas and electrical safety, at accommodation that is often provided for such workers on site. More…
Blitz/2…

The blitz by inspectors in Worcestershire and Herefordshire is only the latest example of HSE's activity in trying to raise standards of health and safety for seasonal agricultural workers and employees of gangmasters. HSE is actively involved with "Operation Gangmaster" a multi-agency operation involving Department for Work and Pensions and other agencies such as Customs and Excise, Inland Revenue, the Immigration Service, the Home Office and DEFRA.

HSE is also involved with DEFRA, in developing a Code of Practice for gangmasters and has contributed to cross-government development of the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Scheme (SAWS).

Dr Smith added: "Whilst to some employers health and safety responsibilities may seem difficult, they are no deterrents or problems to good employers. The requirements of UK health and safety legislation are neither arbitrary nor burdensome but seek to provide a basic standard of protection to which seasonal agricultural workers, whether working for a gangmaster or directly employed by farmers, are entitled.

"Agriculture remains a hazardous industry in which to work and 38 people were killed while working in it 2002/03. Because of the persistently high fatal accident incidence rate, agriculture is a priority under the Health and Safety Commission's Revitalising Health and Safety (RHS) initiative launched in June 2000, and particular attention is being focused on the issues of workplace transport, manual handling, welfare facilities and the provision of information, instruction and training which this blitz will be targeting."
.
Free single copies of the leaflet "Farmwise: your essential guide to health and safety in agriculture'' (MISC165) can be ordered online at http://books.hse.gov.uk