Farm Safety Week launches: ‘Actions and attitudes of farmers need a major rethink’
22nd July 2024
This week marks Farm Safety Week. The annual campaign led and funded by the Farm Safety Foundation (Yellow Wellies) has been raising awareness of the many dangers of working in the farming industry.
The organisers said that farming is an “industry that we rely on three times a day, but one that has the poorest safety record of any occupation in the UK and Ireland”.
The week brings together over 400 organisations in five countries to help encourage a change in attitudes and behaviours around working safely in the industry.
Resetting farmers’s approach to safety and risk-taking
A spokesperson for the Farm Safety Foundation said: “In 2024, the charity celebrates its 10th anniversary and, as we look back on everything that has been achieved, it is apparent that despite more awareness of farm safety, workers are still losing their limbs and their lives on our farms.
“We will be exploring why farmers don’t take near-miss accidents as an opportunity to improve working practices and we will highlight people and organisations who are driving the improvements we want and need to see.
“For several years, the HSE Fatal Injuries in Agriculture, Forestry & Fishing GB Report released for Day One of Farm Safety Week has shown that farming continues to have the poorest safety record in the UK and Ireland.
“This year’s figures are likely to show no drastic improvement, which means the actions and attitudes of those working in the industry need a major rethink.
“This year’s Farm Safety Week offers an opportunity for a reset in the way farmers approach farm safety and risk-taking.”
Sue Thompson, head of Agriculture at the HSE added: “Farmers are rightly proud of a reputation of being able to fix anything on the farm; machinery, fencing, equipment, anything. The challenge now is whether farmers can fix the industry’s broken health and safety record.”
Farm Safety Week takes place between 22nd and 26th July 2024. Farmers are invited to comment, share and retweet Yellow Wellies’ content or create their own using the hashtag #FarmSafetyWeek and tagging the charity @yellowwelliesUK.
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