GNN/YH/495/07 29 October 2007

Don't chance it - Change it - Farmers told at Health and Safety demonstrations

A farmer, standing on a pallet that was balanced on the forks of a telehandler lift truck fell three metres to his death this week while demonstrating the dangers of working at height.

Fortunately this 'farmer' was a mannequin and the display had been set up by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) to illustrate the dangers of the improper use of farm machinery.

The staged reconstruction was one of six presentations shown to farmers at a safety and health event designed specifically for workers in the agriculture industry. These 'awareness' days, held at different locations annually in Yorkshire by the HSE are delivered by LANTRA, the agricultural training specialists. Today's was held at Wigfield Farm, the working training farm of Barnsley College, Worsborough Bridge, Barnsley.

It's clear that farming can be a very risky business. Agriculture has one of the worst fatal accident and occupational ill health records of any major employment sector. Despite representing only 1.7% of the workforce, the industry still accounts for 16 % of the fatal injuries to workers across the country. In 2006 to 2007 34 workers died as a result of accidents in agriculture. This figure included three deaths in Yorkshire.

Attendees were split into groups and shown six farming presentations, each representing a serious health or safety risk for the industry. These included: working on roofs, work at height in general - including ladders, animal handling, manual handling, quad bike safety with requirements for wearing helmets, plus a demonstration of the safe use and operation of lift trucks and other vehicles.

HSE Inspector Alan Sheldon said:

"The event has given farmers practical examples of how to operate at their places of work-safely. We feel this hands-on approach - delivered by trainers who themselves are farmers, can make a positive difference to health and safety issues on the farm. Attendees from small family farms are often self-employed and lack access to health and safety advice, so the demonstrations are intended to cover the topics which account for the majority of fatal accidents and causes of ill health on farms.

"The safety days aim to promote simple sensible solutions with the anticipation that farmers will reflect on their current practices and work more safely in future. For example animal handling has accounted for 11 of the 34 deaths nationwide and this presentation was included as a result. "The LANTRA trainers understand the problems experienced by fellow-farmers, at a time when foot and mouth, blue tongue disease and the summer flooding, have placed increased burdens on the farming community. HSE Inspectors were on hand to provide further advice and guidance on specific issues".

Now in their seventh year, scenario based safety days are extremely popular. National research has shown that these events are an effective way of informing farmers, with 94% of past attendees saying that it had raised their awareness and made them think again about risks that they had taken for granted.

Public enquiries

HSE's InfoLine 0845 3450055, Caerphilly Business Park, Caerphilly, CF83 3GG

Press enquiries

tel: 0113 341 3143; email: elizabeth.ogborn@gnn.gsi.gov.uk

Issued on behalf of HSE by Elizabeth Ogborn, GNN Yorkshire and Humber