HSE appoints new agriculture champion

Date:

21 June 2010

The Health and Safety Executive has a new agricultural champion from today (Monday 21 June) with the formal handover of the role from Judith Donovan to fellow HSE board member Sandy Blair.

Judith who masterminded a new agricultural strategy for HSE and who was the momentum behind the 'Make the Promise' campaign, will stand down ahead of her formal departure as board member in the autumn, passing the baton to Sandy who welcomes the challenge:

"Living in south Monmouthshire and having lived in rural communities for the past 25 years, I appreciate the challenges farmers face in trying to make a living in this difficult economic climate and why corners are sometimes cut. However, it is an unnecessary tragedy that, on average, a farmer is killed almost every week going about their work.

"The 'Make the Promise' campaign asked farmers to think differently about the risks they face at work and I will be concentrating on the next phase of the strategy which focuses on the industry taking the lead itself in changing the culture and making sure that those who create the risks, control those risks."

Judith, who will continue her farming interest through her position on the British Wool Marketing Board is proud with what has been achieved so far, but appreciates that there is still much to do:

"When I became board member for agriculture in November 2007 I was shocked to hear that agriculture is one of the most dangerous ways to make a living in Great Britain and yet the industry just seemed to accept that this is how things are. I wanted to change that, by changing HSE's approach. I wanted to appeal to people's emotions, encouraging farmers to take care, not only for themselves, but for the benefit of their families and farms as the way forward.

"So far 29,000 farmers have signed up to 'Make the Promise' with the full backing of the NFU and the National Federation of Young Farmers Clubs. Sandy's biggest challenge is to continue to get the farming industry and trade associations on board to recognise that the current levels of deaths and injuries are unacceptable and to take responsibility for changing things."

The handover took place at the June Agriculture Industry Advisory Committee (AIAC) meeting at HSE's headquarters in Bootle.

Notes to editors

1. For more information on 'Make The Promise' visit www.hse.gov.uk/makethepromise
2. The Agriculture Industry Advisory Committee (AIAC) meets two to three times a year and is a source of independent advice and expertise. It acts as a sounding board for the industry, reflecting its views and identifying barriers to improvements. It predicts future structural changes in the industry, anticipates their likely impacts on health and safety performance, and assists in the development of appropriate strategies. Its members includes Lantra, the NFU, Unite and IOSH. For more information visit www.hse.gov.uk/aboutus/meetings/iacs/aiac/

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