FARMERS in Wales are being told they must pay closer attention to how they manage workplace risk or face serious penalties.
The Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE) programme of inspections will review health and safety standards on farms across the country, and the industry is being reminded that the inspections will soon begin.
The inspections will ensure those responsible for protecting themselves and workers are doing the right things to comply with the law and prevent death, injury and ill-health. If they are not HSE will not hesitate to use enforcement to bring about improvements.
Throughout the inspection initiative, inspectors will be checking that risks are being controlled in specific areas including:
• Machinery
• Falls from height
• Children
• Livestock
The announcement follows a series of compliance events that were developed as a result of research into farmers attitudes to risk and are aimed at changing behaviours in the industry. Farmers in the area were given the opportunity to attend one of these events, paid for by HSE, to help them comply with the law and prepare for our inspections. HSE is now following up to make sure that all farms in the area are doing the right thing.
Six people were killed in agriculture in Wales in 2018, bringing the total number of people killed over a five-year period to 20 – an average of four deaths per year.
Wales was the region with the second highest number of deaths, after Yorkshire and Humber, which had seven.
Richard Wade, of Lycetts Risk Management Services, said: “Agriculture’s high fatality rate significantly outstrips that of other industries.
“Farmers face potentially fatal risks on a daily basis, from working with unpredictable animals to potentially dangerous machinery, so protecting personal and employee health should be the top priority.
“Sadly, members of the public, family members and children living on the farm also get caught up in incidents and account for some of the overall deaths.
“It is clear the burden of keeping farms safe is a heavy, but necessary one, with no room for error.
“There have been great strides with regards to health and safety over the past decades, with the number of fatal injuries to workers in agriculture falling by around half since 1981 – but we still have a huge way to go.”
Mr Wade added: “Unwise risk-taking is an underlying problem in the agricultural industry, and the most vulnerable are hit the hardest. The fatal injury rate for over 65s was nearly five times that of younger workers. Many farmers are working well past their retirement age, with little to no help, so physically, and cognitively, they are put under a lot of strain.
“These factors mean they may not appropriately assess or mitigate risks.
“Sadly, some of these deaths are a result of freak accidents, but others are preventable.
“By implementing health and safety policies, carrying out robust risk assessments and undertaking health and safety training, farmers can ensure good practice is an integral part of their business, creating a safer environment for them, their workers, and the wider community – as well as help protect the future of their business.
“Death and injury can have a devastating impact on family and friends, so the value of doing so is immeasurable.”
HSE’s head of agriculture, Rick Brunt, said: “We are seeing signs of a change in attitude across the farming industry and while this is encouraging, these inspections act as a reminder to farmers of the importance of managing risks so that everyone can go home from their work healthy.”
“Everyone involved in farming has a role to play. Those working in the industry need to understand the risks they face and the simple ways they can be managed. Those that work with the industry can be part of the change that is so badly needed.
“Farmers, managers and workers are reminded that death, injuries and cases of ill-health are not an inevitable part of farming.”
HSE has a range of resources and guides available to help employers and employees improve health and safety on farms. More information on what topics the inspectors will be looking at when they visit farms can be found here http://bit.ly/HSEFARM
