HSE and NFUS call on farmers to wise up to safety

HSE/SCO/126/2009 26 June 2009

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and the National Farmers' Union Scotland (NFUS) joined forces at the Royal Highland Show today (26 June) to remind farmers across Scotland of the dangers they face in their daily work.

To help farmers understand the potential risks they face and how they can be managed, HSE is encouraging visitors to its stand at the Royal Highland Show to take away a copy of Farmwise - a free, comprehensive guide giving practical advice and guidance about how to reduce the risk of death, injury and ill health in agriculture. Farmwise has been updated for 2009, and covers such high risk activities including the use of farm vehicles, falls from height and being struck by moving or falling objects.

Judith Donovan, the Health and Safety Executive's board level agriculture champion, who was at the Royal Highland Show today, said:

"It is a real cause for concern that farming and agricultural work is still one of the most dangerous ways to make a living - and it is worrying that on average somebody dies every fortnight.

"Deaths and injuries on farms continue to be caused by the same activities - working with vehicles and machinery, falls from height when working on roofs and when working with livestock.

"A fatal accident can not only destroy families it can also ruin the farm as a business, making it a double tragedy. We're asking farmers to talk to us and work with us to make sure this doesn't happen, and I urge farmers to find the time to read Farmwise, as the guidance it contains will help them to make the farm a safer place to work.

"I am delighted the NFUS supports us in our bid to remind farmers of the simple steps they can take to help reduce the risks they face at work."

Jim McLaren, NFUS President, said:

"I want to remind our members, indeed all farmers and crofters across Scotland, that any death at work is one death too many. These accidents destroy lives, whole families and often farm businesses. This initiative from HSE is of massive importance to the industry and we wholeheartedly support it."

HSE is exhibiting at the show as part of its ongoing commitment to improve health and safety in the agriculture sector. Experts are available to answer questions on issues about farming, arboriculture, forestry and aquaculture. Visitors to the HSE stand can also see a demonstration from Lantra trainers about the safe use of power take-off shafts.

Although new figures published earlier this week reveal that fatal injuries to farm and agricultural workers are at an all time low, there is still a higher rate of work-related deaths than in any other industry. Headline figures for 2008/09 indicate that 26 workers died in the agriculture sector − a fall of 13 deaths on the previous year. The rate of fatal injuries per 100,000 workers was 5.7.

Although only about 1.5% of the working population works in agriculture, the industry accounts for about 20% of work-related deaths every year. 

Notes to editors

1. Farmwise is a free publication and is available from http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/radindex.htm and by mail order from HSE Books: http://books.hse.gov.uk/
2. More than half of all deaths on farms in the last 10 years have been caused by one of three factors:
   • Workplace transport (24 per cent)
   • Falls from height, especially roofs (17 per cent)
   • Being struck by moving or falling objects (15 per cent)

For more information and advice on improving health and safety in agriculture visit www.hse.gov.uk/agriculture

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Issued on behalf of the Health and Safety Executive by COI News and PR Scotland.