Potato farmers 'will be held accountable' over safety failures

Farmers putting themselves and their workers’ health and safety in jeopardy throughout the potato harvest will be held accountable, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has warned.

HSE inspectors have been visiting farms that are harvesting potatoes across the country, providing safety advice and guidelines.

However, the health and safety body said recent events show farmers and workers are still not managing the risks they face, creating "undue risk" to their own and their workers’ health and safety.

For those farmers failing to adequately plan harvesting activities or manage risk, HSE has warned it will use its full powers to hold them accountable in line with health and safety legislation.

The regulator has sharpened its focus in light of the death of an agricultural engineer who was working on a potato harvester when the incident occurred.

The investigation is in its very early stages but the circumstances surrounding the incident will form part of the investigation.

'Legal obligation'

HSE’s head of agriculture, Rick Brunt, said: “We are committed to ensuring all remain safe during the harvesting season through our ongoing programme of inspections. We’re encouraging farmers to do all they can to manage the risks during the potato harvest and reduce the likelihood of incidents.

“We would like to remind all employers of their legal obligation to comply with health and safety law as one poor decision could have life-changing implications.”

The initiative announcement comes after the latest HSE statistics show that there have been 30 deaths on farms in Britain over the last 12 months.

Incidents during potato harvesting season remain a common cause of serious and fatal injury.

Recurring causes include entanglement with dangerous parts of machines, being struck or run over by vehicles and falls from height.