Safety and health awareness day in Billericay to help prevent farmyard accidents

Date:

20 October 2009

Release No:

HSE/E/24

Farmers across Essex will attend a Safety and Health Awareness Day (SHAD) this week to help them prevent agricultural accidents.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is holding the free event at Barleylands Farm, Barleylands Road, Billericay CM11 2UD on Thursday (October 22) in a bid to reduce the number of deaths and injuries caused by farmyard incidents.

Qualified instructors will give practical demonstrations on the most common accidents that can take place at the farm, such as falls from height and chemical incidents, and how to avoid them. Farmers will then take away an information pack and get the chance to ask questions to HSE inspectors.

Fatalities and serious injuries on farms have declined in recent years but farming is still one of the most dangerous occupations. In 2008/2009, 26 people in the UK died in agricultural accidents. Meanwhile 1,500 people each year are seriously injured.

HSE Health and Safety Awareness Officer Janet Price said: "These demonstrations are designed to show just how easily accidents can happen. They will give farmers a clear message about the precautions they need to take to help protect themselves, their families and employees from harm.

"Farming is a dangerous occupation. Thousands of people every year suffer injuries or ill health, which prevents them from carrying out their normal work. This has a huge effect on the agricultural industry.

"This event will give farmers practical advice from people in the farming industry and help them identify common hazards relevant to their own farms. We expect that farmers will put into practice safe systems of work demonstrated at the event."

The SHAD will be split into two half-day sessions. The demonstrations will cover six of the most common farmyard accident scenarios. The scenarios are manual handling, transport, maintenance and hydraulics, machinery blockages, chemicals and work at height.

At the end of each demonstration, farmers will have the chance to ask qualified instructors questions, as well as talk to other attendees about their own health and safety experiences. Attendees will also receive a copy of Farmwise, the HSE's comprehensive guidance booklet, with a self-assessment CD and a selection of other relevant HSE guidance leaflets.

Hundreds of invites have been sent to farmers across the area and it is hoped that approximately 150 will attend each event.

Notes to editors

1. The Health and Safety Executive is Britain's national regulator for workplace health and safety. It aims to reduce work-related death, injury and ill health. It does so through research, information and advice; promoting training; new or revised regulations and codes of practice; and working with local authority partners by inspection, investigation and enforcement.
2. Similar events focussing on agricultural, arboriculture and the woodworking industries have been run by the HSE over the last few years. They have been particularly successful in attracting small businesses to learn of the health and safety risks they face every day at work.
3. Information on health and safety and the agricultural sector is available on the HSE website at Agriculture health and safety, farming industry help and advice
4. For further details of latest HSE statistics in the East of England, see the Summary of statistics of occupational ill health, safety and enforcement 2006/07 at East of England government office region (GOR) Statistics of occupational ill health, safety and enforcement

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Issued on behalf of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) by COI News and PR East