From the 18-22 July, the Farm Safety Foundation - aka Yellow Wellies - are holding their tenth annual Farm Safety Week, a campaign which brings together five countries over five days with one simple goal to encourage everyone in the industry to make our farms safer places to live and to work.
A decade after the first Farm Safety Week, agriculture still has one of the poorest safety records of occupations in the UK and Ireland. According to The Health and Safety Executive (HSE), there were 22 work-related farm deaths recorded between April 2021 and March 2022. This is a decrease of 12 from the previous year total (34), with the industry dropping below Construction.
The most common kinds of fatal accidents to workers in 2021/22 continue as falls from a height, struck by moving vehicle, and struck by moving, including flying/falling, object.
Lantra wholeheartedly back this vital campaign, and believe that keeping knowledge and training up-to-date is key to prevention. Therefore - for a second year running - Lantra has partnered the NFU to create an online learning course for farmers, developed with advice from the HSE. The course cover practical training advice on topics such as working at height or with cattle, and also working with vehicles such as ATVs.
Stephanie Berkeley, Manager, Farm Safety Foundation commented:
"Agriculture is different from many industries in that it can present hazards to people not actively involved in the industry, such as children and family members living on the farm and visitors, in addition to farm workers."
"Behind every fatal notification is a worker, a member of the public and, this year, a child. We can not become immune to the impact that each and every death has on farming families and communities across the UK and Ireland. In the ten years since our first campaign, we have lost a total of 363 people to farm incidents so cannot continue to accept that risk-taking is part and parcel of farming – we have to work harder to make it safer."
Check out this year's campaign video titled 'It's About Time' below:
For more information on ‘Farm Safety Week’ visit www.yellowwellies.org or follow @yellowwelliesUK on Twitter/Facebook/Instagram.