Six farm deaths prompt renewed warning on work-at-height safety

Farmers and agricultural contractors are being urged to review work-at-height safety as a Scottish inquiry prepares to examine six fatal falls on farms.

The No Falls Foundation, the UK charity dedicated to preventing falls from height, has called for industry-wide reflection ahead of the Fatal Accident Inquiry.

The charity said the cases underline the continuing danger of roof work, skylights and maintenance jobs on farm buildings, particularly where people are working alone or on fragile surfaces.

The inquiry will examine the deaths of six men who died after falls from height on farms between 2020 and 2024.

Following preliminary hearings due to begin in November 2025, the FAI is scheduled to take place at Falkirk Sheriff Court on 22 June 2026.

It is expected to last three days.

The No Falls Foundation said the inquiry highlighted the serious risk posed by working at height in agriculture.

Although farming accounts for around 1% of the UK working population, the charity said the sector accounts for 20% of all work-related fatalities involving falls from height.

The inquiry will examine six fatal incidents involving farmers, agricultural contractors and maintenance workers who fell through or from farm buildings between 2020 and 2024.

They include Alan Brisbane, 60, who died in September 2023 after falling while working alone in a barn at A and K Farming in Stirling, and Charles Emslie, 71, who died in September 2024 after falling through a grain store skylight at Law Farm in Aberdeenshire.

Colin Gibson, 62, a self-employed maintenance worker, died in April 2022 after falling through the roof of a cow shed at Littlehill of Knaven Farm, Peterhead.

Dale Pattinson, 36, director of DWP Roofing and Cladding Ltd, died in August 2023 after falling through a cattle shed skylight at Bassendean Farm in the Scottish Borders.

The inquiry will also examine the deaths of Hugh MacPhail, 75, who died in July 2023 after falling through the roof of a sheep shed he was repairing at Callachally Farm on the Isle of Mull, and James Smith, 74, who died in August 2024 after falling through a cow shed roof at Bowhouse Farm, Stewarton.

The charity said agriculture’s disproportionate number of fatal falls showed the need for improved safety culture around farm buildings, roof work and working at height.

Peter Bennett OBE, Chair of the No Falls Foundation, has provided formal evidence to the inquiry on behalf of the charity.

He welcomed the decision by the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service to examine the issue of workplace falls from height in agriculture.

“The No Falls Foundation strongly welcomes the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service’s (COPFS) recognition of the extent of the issue of workplace falls from height, particularly within the agriculture sector, with the launch of this Fatal Accident Inquiry (FAI),” he said.

Mr Bennett said the inquiry was significant because it brought together six deaths with a common cause.

“This inquiry is unique, as it groups these six deaths together due to the common denominator that all men had a fatal fall from height and, in these cases, through a farm building roof,” he said.

He said the charity hoped the inquiry would help reduce the risk of similar deaths in future.

“We are hopeful the outcome of which will help to reduce the risk of future avoidable deaths in similar circumstances,” he said.

The No Falls Foundation said falls from height remained the leading cause of workplace fatalities and injuries in Great Britain.

Mr Bennett said that remained the case despite the introduction of the Work at Height Regulations in 2005 and greater awareness of the dangers.

He said more than one million businesses and 10 million workers were estimated to carry out some form of work at height each year.

“This lack of improvement in workplace fatalities and injuries needs to change,” he said.

The charity said the Scottish inquiry should also prompt wider debate about how workplace deaths are investigated across the UK.

It is calling for the UK government to follow Scotland’s lead by making Fatal Accident Inquiries mandatory for workplace fatalities in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Mr Bennett said every worker should be entitled to the same level of scrutiny following a fatal incident.

“We believe that every worker, regardless of their location, deserves the same level of investigative scrutiny following a tragedy,” he said.

“If we are to truly reduce the number of preventable deaths, we need a consistent, transparent process that forces us to learn from and raise awareness around the accidents and implement robust, life-saving changes.”

The No Falls Foundation said the FAI would be inquisitorial rather than punitive.

It said the aim would be to establish facts and identify reasonable precautions that could help prevent future deaths.