Potato farms – a safe place to work
The long chain of events getting potatoes from field to fork is about to get safer. The British Potato Council (BPC) with support from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), National Farms Union (NFU) and Grimme UK has produced a Safe Potato Handling DVD with optional subtitles available in Polish, Portuguese, Latvian and Lithuanian.
Produced over eighteen months for the farm team involved with in-field and in-store potato grading, the DVD integrates the importance of health and safety with correct use of farm equipment and preserving potato quality and increasing sold yield.
The DVD has been distributed to all BPC-registered growers and members of the National Association of Agricultural Contractors.
The BPC's supply chain manager Phil Bradshaw says: "A whole team approach to safety is vital; the practical advice was developed by consulting with farm owners, managers, and operatives. The twenty minute presentation is an ideal refresher to staff and powerful training tool for new or casual employees that re-enforces the basic messages in a visual film format appropriate to farm workers, even if their first language is not English. Non-English speakers can view the DVD with subtitles and read the documentation in their native language."
HSE inspector Tony Mitchell says: "Every year there are number of serious incidents on farms and even deaths. The DVD sets out best practice principles in a simple format that can be developed and adopted to the local circumstance. It will be a valuable tool for managers and supervisors to raise awareness amongst workers and help reduce the risk of accidents and improving the efficiency of potato harvesting, which will benefit their business. The people best placed to make the workplace safer are the staff and managers who work in them."
The DVD has sections for different levels of staff that highlight specific responsibilities. The supervisor can sit his staff down – select the correct option for language, work area and roles – and watch the film which covers all angles of the specific operation. At the end of the DVD, a test can be taken to check understanding and viewing repeated if appropriate. Personal details can then be manually entered on a printed certificate, signed and dated and securely filed as a formal record.
Barry Baker from Grimme UK says: "Safety has advanced on machinery and equipment over the years. Very often the main operator has been shown how to use a certain piece of equipment. But it is vital everyone who comes into contact with specific machinery understands and is aware of the risks and how the equipment should be operated and used safely. The DVD provides the solution and highlights the communication that is required for the whole farm team during harvesting and grading to ensure the operation is conducted safely."
A library of printable advice sheets are available on the DVD and supplement the film footage. These include a daily check list for casual farm staff.
