Farming campaign tackles one of Britain's deadliest industries

Date:

2 January 2009

Release No:

E075:09

A campaign to prevent deaths on farms launches today (Friday 2nd January 2009) - highlighting farming as one of the most dangerous ways to make a living in Britain.

"Make the promise. Come Home Safe" is a hard-hitting campaign from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) targeting farmers and their families, including grandparents and children, with the individual stories behind the statistics and the devastation caused to bereaved families.

The campaign asks farmers to make a simple promise, to come home safe. They owe it to their families and friends, to the land they farm, and to their communities, to come home safe.
  
During January 2009, HSE will be sending "Promise Packs" to around 70,000 British farmers. The pack contains all they need to make their promise to come home safe. It includes a "Promise Knot", a symbolic "knot" of farm baling twine, which can be used as a visual reminder of the pledge to come home safe, as well as a poster outlining detailed information. HSE is here to help them keep their promise.

Farmers can send in a form contained within the pack to request a new booklet, "How lives are lost on British farms".

Judith Donovan, non-executive HSE Board member and agriculture champion, said:

"This summarises recent fatal accidents and is designed to help farmers avoid making the same mistakes. HSE is mounting this campaign because on average over forty-five deaths, year after year, occur on British farms. We would like to highlight that this is a partnership to keep farmers safe, not HSE dictating the terms."  

Over the last ten years deaths on farms have been caused by the same activities. Extra care must be taken when working with vehicles and machinery, on roofs and with livestock, and this campaign aims to remind farmers of what they can do to reduce the risks.

In 2007/2008, there were 42 deaths on farms¹. Less than 1.5 per cent of the working population is employed in agriculture yet the sector is responsible for between 15 per cent and 20 per cent of fatalities to workers each year. Two-thirds (64 per cent) of all deaths in farming are self-employed farmers. Within this group, older farmers are the most at risk, accounting for over half (53 per cent) of the deaths to the self-employed.

The three main causes of deaths to agriculture workers in the last ten years were:

• Transport - 24 per cent
• Falls from height, especially roofs - 17 per cent
• Being struck by moving or falling objects - 15 per cent

Jim McLaren, President of NFU Scotland, comments:

"Any death is a death too many, yet all too frequently someone dies in a farm accident. These accidents destroy lives, whole families and often farm businesses. This campaign is of massive importance to the farming industry. It will be a success if even one farmer thinks about a risk and does something differently, and is still here with his or her family as a result. We hope everyone in rural areas and those involved in farming get to know about the campaign, talk about it and spread the message. Do not take risks with your life and your family's future. Come Home Safe."

Notes to editors

1. The total number of deaths on farms in 2007/2008 was 42, which includes 39 deaths of workers, and 3 deaths of members of the public.

Press enquiries

All enquiries from journalists should be directed to the HSE Press Office