HSE issues farm safety warning after four deaths in a fortnight

A three-year-old boy was killed at a farm in Carmarthenshire, Wales, on 3rd August after a collision with a vehicle.

The HSE is urging farmers and farm workers to make safety a priority after four deaths were reported in just two weeks.

Incidents include the death of a three-year-old boy at a farm in Carmarthenshire, Wales, on 3rd August after a collision with a vehicle.

On 27th July a man died in an apparent fall from a height in Angus, Scotland, while another died in a crushing incident involving a ramp falling from a truck at a farm in Hampshire on 9th August.

The following day, on 10th August, a man was found with fatal injuries and surrounded by cattle at a field in Marshfield.

Investigations are ongoing with support from HSE. The incidents come just three weeks after Farm Safety Week when the HSE released its latest farm fatalities report, which revealed 34 deaths in the agriculture, forestry and fishing sector in 2020-21 – a rise of more than 60 per cent on the previous year.

HSE’s acting head of agriculture Adrian Hodkinson said: “While we must respect the ongoing investigations following these tragic incidents, most injuries or deaths that we’ve historically seen on farms have been both predictable and preventable.

“Despite the efforts of the Farm Safety Partnership in particular, an industry-wide change in attitude is needed for farmers to take action to protect themselves and others to the well-known risks they face.”

Summer brings additional risk factors, such as the school holidays and higher numbers of members of the public enjoying the summer weather and walking along public footpaths through fields with cattle.

“But we ask that farmers, farm workers and farming contractors take the right steps to stop these incidents,” Mr Hodkinson added. “At this time of year, it’s important to manage risk from livestock and, with harvest well underway, to work safely with farm machinery.

“The fatality rate within the sector is high, but there are simple measures workers can take to reduce risk including making sure to switch off the power to vehicles or machinery before attempting to carry out repairs, keeping people away from moving vehicles; and ensuring dairy bulls, and cows with calves are not in fields with public footpaths.”

Chair of Farm Safety Partnership England, Stuart Roberts, added: “The number of deaths on farmland is deeply upsetting. The fact remains that there have been four deaths in the last two weeks alone – that is four too many. Every farmer has a responsibility to make safety their number one priority, especially as we enter the height of the school holidays with more families visiting the countryside.

“A lot of accidents are, tragically, easily avoided and there are some relative simple and inexpensive changes we can all implement, starting with remembering to always assess risks. We also need to ensure all of us wear helmets on quadbikes, check machinery regularly and implement the Safe Stop procedure every time we leave the cab.”

Guidance in managing livestock, reducing the risks to children and the public, and maintaining farm vehicles and machinery is available on the HSE website.

Workers within the sector are also encouraged to seek help and advice from any of the Farm Safety Partnerships or leading farming organisations if they require guidance and support for specific tasks or activities.