Managing the risks on your farm
22nd July 2021
Farmers and landowners are responsible for the safety of anyone visiting their farm or business, including employees, customers, sales reps, or even a lost rambler who mistakes a field margin for the footpath. As more and more members of the public take to the countryside, it has never been more important to understand your legal obligations.
Whilst you may understand the day-to-day hazards on your own farm, members of the public can often be less aware or even oblivious to the potential risks. To mitigate the risk of accidents or injuries, these hazards must be clearly signposted.
It can be as simple as erecting clear signage or completing a risk assessment which is reviewed regularly. Once a system is in place, it can be easily managed.
With UK agriculture responsible for 20 per cent of fatal accidents in the workplace, Red Tractor and the supply chain are turning their attention to worker health and safety in their standards and contracts.
The new Red Tractor standards due in the autumn of this year are expected to require a far higher level of detail in both H&S policy and employee training. However, such standards should be in place regardless of assurance status to help protect the business and its people from harm, as well as protecting the future success of your business.
Good health and safety policy and practice allows employees to work more effectively, with less danger, helping to improve morale and productivity, saving money and adding to long term profitability. Managing health and safety doesn’t have to be complicated, costly or time consuming and can be easier than you think – especially with the right support.
The Farm Consultancy Group Rural Compliance Service provides farm businesses with all their paperwork and advice needs for health and safety, farm assurance and cross compliance – offering a personal and tailored service and providing expert and cost-effective advice. It aims to protect the safety of your workforce, create a safe and healthy work environment, and increase the productivity, quality and efficiency of work. The Farm Consultancy Group also offers a free, no-obligation meeting with all interested farmers.
Dan Wood, FCG’s rural compliance consultant explains: “It is very easy to become complacent with your own farm or rural business, especially during busy times such as harvest or lambing season. Often people cut corners to save time, and this is when accidents can happen.
“By inviting an external representative to your business, they can help to identify these risks and look at how they can be managed in a safe and cost-effective way. Nobody wants to have an accident, a staff member injured or a customer fall, so putting measures in place to prevent this from happening will make your business far safer.”
Earlier this month the Health and Safety Executive published its annual report into fatal accidents recorded on farms in the UK.
The main points to take away from 2020/21 report are:
- Falls from height are the top cause of fatalities, followed by being struck by a moving vehicle.
- Agriculture, forestry and fishing still has the second highest number of fatalities by industry (up by six on the five-year average)
- The sector also has the highest number of fatalities per 100,000 workers at 11.37. The second highest is the waste and recycling sector at 2.57 per 100,000
- The rate of fatal injury in agriculture, forestry and fishing are 20 times higher than average across all industries.
These are worrying statistics and the industry as a whole must take responsibility to ensure it becomes a safer place in which to live, work and visit.
We all come together as an industry when there is a tragedy, but understanding how accidents can be prevented is key. Taking time to reassess risk in your business is essential, positive and forward thinking.
The FCG team says it is truly rewarding to visit a client’s farm after an assessment and see how health and safety measures have been successfully implemented. Dan Wood commented: “It is satisfying to see when clients have fenced off dangerous areas, put policies in place and enforced helmet wearing on quad bikes for example.”
To organise a free, no obligation meeting about how you can change and manage risk in your business, talk to a representative from the Farm Consultancy Group. For more information, call Dan Wood on: 01249 750151 or email whiteavonconsultancy@fcgagric.com
