TEN years after the first Farm Safety Week campaign, the charity behind it has made a plea for those living and working in the industry to do more to improve its poor safety record.
The latest figures from the Health and Safety Executive show that the number of fatal injuries on British farms has dropped significantly, but 25 people still lost their lives in 2021/22. Ten years ago, the total figure was 41.
The Farm Safety Foundation, or Yellow Wellies, the charity behind the annual campaign, said while there is an encouraging improvement on the ten-year average of 36, it is important to continue driving safety messages to avoid a rebound.
Farming still has the poorest safety record of any occupation in the UK and Ireland.
Of the 25 people killed in England, Scotland and Wales in the past year, 22 were farm workers and three were members of the public, including a nine-year old child.
The picture is similar in Northern Ireland where farming accounted for six of the 18 (33 per cent) reported workplace fatalities in 2021/2022. In the Republic of Ireland, farming, which accounts for four per cent of the workforce, has 26 per cent of all workplace fatal incidents.
The foundation has delivered training sessions to more than 18,000 young farmers in land-based colleges and universities across the UK. This week it will highlight some of the key issues facing the farming community, spotlight the work being done to drive a change in attitudes, and introduce ten inspirational farm safety heroes who have worked tirelessly over the past decade to reduce the injury risk for farmers and farming families.
Farm Safety Foundation
Stephanie Berkeley, Farm Safety Foundation manager, said: “Despite an encouraging improvement in the HSE figures over the past year, these are very sobering statistics.
"We must remember that these are not just statistics – behind every fatal notification is a worker, a visitor or a child. We cannot become immune to the impact that each and every death has on farming families and communities across the UK and Ireland. Ten years after our first campaign, we cannot continue to accept that risk-taking is part and parcel of farming – we have to work harder to make it safer.
"A decade on, a focus like Farm Safety Week is still important. When many voices join together to drive a change, this is when it can happen. We should be farming safely every day of the year not just during Farm Safety Week.”
Sue Thompson, head of agriculture, at the Health and Safety Executive, congratulated the Farm Safety Foundation on its work to raise the profile of farm incidents and their consequences.
She added: "However, there are farming families left devastated every year when their loved ones are badly injured or killed while doing their jobs. We are starting to see safety improvements in some areas, but the pace of change is slow, and the rates of workplace injury and ill health in agriculture remain the highest of any major sector.
"It’s regrettable that we’re not yet seeing the widespread changes in attitude towards safety, and the improvements in behaviour that will reduce the numbers of people hurt or made ill.
“Far too many farmers and farm workers suffer life-changing injury and lifelong chronic illness resulting from poor health and safety management.
“Everyone in agriculture has a role to play in making the changes we all want to see. Together, we can make farming safer.”
For more information on Farm Safety Week, visit www.yellowwellies.org.
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