Take A Moment
Agriculture health And Safety
ESSENTIAL INFORMATION AND GUIDANCE ON HEALTH AND SAFETY IN AGRICULTURE
In the last ten years almost one person a week has been killed as a direct result of agricultural work, making it the riskiest industry sector to work in. Agricultural workers also suffer 13,000 non-fatal injuries a year, whilst back pain, sprains and strains are over three times the rate of all other industries. The cost of injuries to agriculture is estimated to be about £190 million a year. The Farm Safety Partnership recently set a target to reduce the number of farming fatalities by at least 50% by summer 2023
| TAKE A MOMENT
As an industry leader and farmer-owner company Mole Valley are in a unique position to make a real difference and influence cultural change within the sector by helping to improve safe working practice on farms. Mole Valley recently launched a new initiative that asks farmers to ‘Take A Moment to consider their safety. At the heart of the initiative are the following themes –
Take A Moment to
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Consider the task you are about to undertake
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Consider your environment.
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Consider the machinery you are about to use
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Think ‘what if…’
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Plan a safe return home at the end of every day
Health and safety is a fundamental requirement of a sustainable farming business and should be regarded as an essential part of farm business management. As farmers you use management systems to make sure that your crops and animals are kept healthy and productive. You plan what to plant and when, assess the risks of disease and other incidents that may spoil the crop or animal. You control any problems, monitor growth and decide when to harvest. You also work out how successful you have been and come up with improvements. Managing health and safety is no different, you need to manage it to make sure that you, your workers, family members and others are kept safe at work.
WHY TAKE A MOMENT MATTERS
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Figures recently published by the Health and Safety Executive show 39 people were killed as a result of farming and other agriculture related activities during 2018/2019. This is an increase on 33 from the year before and 30 in 2016/2017.
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Agriculture has the worst rate of worker fatal injury (per 100,000) of the main industrial sectors; it is eighteen times higher than the average rate across all industries.
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Transport: overturning vehicles or being struck by moving vehicles caused most deaths.
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Nearly half of the agricultural workers killed were over 60.
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Seven members of the public were killed.
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Two young children were killed.
| MENTAL HEALTH IN AGRICULTURE…
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Recent research by the Farm Safety Foundation in 2019 revealed that:
- 84% of farmers under the age of 40 believe that mental health is the biggest hidden problem facing farmers today
- 85% believe that there is a link between farm safety and mental health
- 86% believe that talking about mental health in farming will remove any stigma attached to it.
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Farming can be a highly stressful occupation and the industry is exposed to a unique set of circumstances and stressors
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At least one farmer a week takes their own life
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Farming has the poorest safety record of any occupation in the UK and stress is often a key factor in many of the accidents, injuries and illnesses taking place on farms.
If you need to talk to someone contact the Farming Community Network helpline on 03000 111 999
| STORIES
| BRUCE'S STORY
| GREG'S STORY
Farm Vehicle Safety
The most common cause of serious and fatal injuries in agriculture involve moving and overturning vehicles. Transport movements in and around the workplace need to be controlled to protect pedestrians and to prevent damage to equipment and buildings. Other incidents happen when people leave a vehicle without making sure it cannot move or cause injury in other ways.
‘Safe Stop’ is the most important safety action of all:
- Handbrake on
- Controls in neutral
- Engine off and remove the key
It is sometimes easier to break transport activities into three areas: vehicle, driver and site.
Safe Vehicle
Check that vehicles, machines and handling equipment are capable of safely performing the jobs to be done and are properly maintained. Vehicles should be fitted with roll-over protective structures and seatbelts if there is a risk of overturning. Keys should be kept secure when not in use.
Safe Driver
Drivers should be medically fit to drive, properly trained and authorised to drive. Never allow passengers to ride on or in vehicle cabs unless they are sitting on a passenger seat and cannot impede the driver, accidentally make contact with the machine controls or obscure the driver’s vision.
Safe Site
Vehicles and pedestrians should be separated where possible and visiting drivers should be aware of your site rules. Traffic routes should be properly maintained and adequately lit. The need to reverse should be reduced where possible.
All-terrain Vehicles
Many quad bike fatalities in the UK have been caused by head injuries. Helmets would have prevented most, if not all, of these deaths. You should always wear a helmet when riding a quad bike. Never carry a child as a passenger, it is illegal and will reduce your ability to control the ATV.
References: HSG270 Farmwise