Farmers are being urged to assess risks and take action in making their farms safer for themselves and others around them, as the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) statistics released recently show 33 fatalities in workers and four in members of the public occurred in agriculture last year.
The figures show that the five-year average has not improved. To address this, the industry has come together to promote advice on avoiding accidents on farm in Farm Safety Week (6-10 July). This is part of a long-term initiative to reverse the trend and make the sector a safer one to work in. NFU Cymru will be working alongside partners from across Wales, the UK and Republic of Ireland to achieve this.
NFU Cymru President and Wales Farm Safety Partnership member, Stephen James, said, “The stagnant nature of these figures underlines the importance of the industry working to ensure the number of fatalities in our sector falls and NFU Cymru is playing a leading role in this.
“We have produced our own tractor air fresheners with key health and safety messages to reduce the risks associated with farm machinery, these will be available on our stand at this year’s agricultural shows and I urge anyone to come and pick one up. The main message, of course, is to Stop and Think!”
“The Farm Safety Partnership in Wales, a collaboration of 14 organisations, is committed to raising awareness of potential risks and promoting safe practices on farms. From the statistics, farming has the poorest record of any occupation in the UK. We need to take responsibility and wake up to the risks around us and do something about making our workplace safer.
“The Farm Safety Week tagline says it all: don’t learn safety by accident.”
