Farm Safety News

As the second storm has hit the country in just 48 hours, bringing heavy rain and strong winds, NFU Mutual has offered some advice to help farmers protect themselves and their businesses.

When we think about high-risk industries, construction is usually the first that comes to mind. Forestry and agriculture are often overlooked. However, they are among the most high-risk industries in the UK when it comes to health and safety. Gavin Scarr-Hall, director of health & safety at Peninsula, offers some advice.

A Suffolk maltings supplier faces losses of around 130 tonnes of barley after a blaze broke out in the factory.

Farmers have been assessing the damage after Storm Henk hit many parts of the country this week. The storm has brought strong winds and heavy rain, creating chaos for many.

The newly appointed chair of trustees at the Farm Safety Foundation set his goal to “push even harder for zero avoidable deaths” on farms.

The Tilly Group is highlighting a new standard on the maintenance of machinery, which has been published by the British Standards Institute to improve the safety and efficiency of ageing machinery.

There are potential implications, both from a legal perspective and in respect of your insurance if required machinery tests are not carried out. It’s important to seek advice on farm vehicle and machinery safety to ensure you understand how you can reduce the risk of accidents happening, writes Will Oakes, CLA Insurance account executive.

Accidents involving power take-off (PTO) shafts are among the most common causes of serious injury when operating farm machinery. To help raise awareness of PTO safety, Kramp, the agricultural spare parts supplier, has issued guidance to farmers to minimise the risk of an incident occurring and reduce PTO wear through proper set-up.

Gavin Scarr-Hall, director of health & safety at Peninsula, offers some advice on best practice for slurry management.

Since 2019 the NFU’s petition to ban sky lanterns in the UK has gained over 100,000 signatures as more research is conducted into their potential ability to start wildfires, kill animals, destroy crops, set buildings alight, as well as littering the countryside. To date 188 councils out of 333 have banned them in England and Wales.

With Storm Babet leaving vast areas of farmland underwater, the NFU is demanding the government matches its talk about the importance of UK food security with action on water management.

Storm Babet is battering large parts of the UK, with a rare red weather alert issued by the Met Office for “exceptional” rainfall in parts of Scotland, stating a risk to life.