The third annual Farm Safety Week launches today with NFU Scotland voicing its support in the hope that farmers and those within the industry will make their safety and the safety of those around them a priority.
Over the course of this week, the Union will detail personal stories from well-known farmers from across Scotland who have had an accident on their farm, the impact it had on them and how their practices changed as a result. Each of the main causes of death or injury on farm will be featured – falls, livestock, machinery and transport - rounding off the week with a special message on child safety. The overall theme is ‘don’t learn safety by accident’.
Today, Monday 6 July, the focus is on falls from height, with 13 people dying on Scotland’s farms in the past decade because they failed to take proper precautions when working at height. We also provide some simple tips that could save lives or prevent serious injury. In our case studies, Peter Stewart from Dunfermline and Andrew Moir from Aberdeenshire talk about mistakes they made that could have resulted in fatality.
ANDREW MOIR, ABERDEENSHIRE
Following a near fatal fall from a ladder on his farm, Andrew Moir, an arable farmer from Aberdeenshire, spent eight days in hospital followed by a full year of rehabilitation.
Suffering from concussion, a broken nose and bone in his left arm, dislocated fingers and a shattered kneecap had a huge effect on his business.
Andrew, a past chairman of NFU Scotland’s Combinable Crops committee, now realises this accident was entirely preventable. He explained: “The accident came as a shock not only to me but to those who know me and the emphasis I place on safe working practice.
“The sorry tale began in a routine manner: the grain store was now empty and the cleaning process was a necessary chore to allow fresh grain to be stored and eliminate any beasties and bugs that can lurk in tiny crevices and contaminate fresh grain which will be in store for about 11 months. Power points are by necessity above the “grain line” which means something like five metres from a float polished concrete floor and I needed to plug the industrial hoover into one of these.
“Inexplicably I reached for the extendable ladder and placed it at quite a tight angle and power flex in one hand started my ascent. As I reached the top my brain suddenly kicked into gear, have I secured the ladder at the bottom? But it was too late, in a split second I was travelling at speed, with the ladder, to a very hard landing.
“Fortunately I did not lose consciousness and was only aware of copious blood flow from my nose, and a numb sensation sweeping my body. After a nasty accident with a cow before, I knew that I only had a few minutes before shock would set in and I could be in real trouble as I was working alone.
“I was able to get my mobile phone from my breast pocket and contact my son Ian who was home on leave from his work. In the few minutes Ian took to find me I realised I couldn’t stand up and the extent of my injuries - I was lucky to be alive.
“I was lucky and very fortunate to have had excellent care and repairs courtesy of NHS Grampian, it still leaves me cold to think about what happened and I have found this quite difficult to actually write as the memory’s come flooding back.”
PETER STEWART, DUNFERMLINE
A fall from a potato box 10 years ago has made Peter Stewart of Urquhart Farm, Crossford, Dunfermline, safety conscious after he suffered a broken hip and leg and spent six weeks in a wheelchair.
In October 2003 Peter, a past Vice President of NFU Scotland, was in the middle of the potato harvest, and decided one evening to start placing the temperature probes in the top boxes in the cold store to let the computer start ventilating the store.
He did what many other potato growers do, and many who have confessed to Peter that they have done, and he climbed up the boxes without an aid.
He explains what happened next: “When I got right up to the top box, the spar came away in my hand, and I fell back down some 20 feet onto the concrete floor.
“When I landed, I knew my right arm was in a mess and tried to get up but my right leg and right hip were broken, and I hit the deck.
“My phone was in my jeans’ pocket and trying to get a phone out of a right-hand pocket with the left hand was a challenge. The screen was smashed, but the quick-dial worked and I phoned my wife, who had a devil of a job trying to get an ambulance quickly, only having had a brief word from me.
“My right arm had a compound fracture, with eight pieces between the elbow and shoulder, and I was in theatre for 10 hours, and spent six weeks in a wheelchair. It took a fair while before I was fully fit. I was lucky I had great support from my wife and brother following the accident.
“I was glad my insurance was with the NFU Mutual, as I received some welcome financial support from them.
“We now use a cage for the forklift for all jobs requiring height, and I am well aware an accident like this to an employee could have been disastrous for the business.
“I am far more safety-conscious, if somewhat late in life.”
