The farming industry being branded as the most unsecure for health and safety, farmers should focus on reducing accidents.
The fact that nearly 750 people – 98 of them members of the public – have died in farmland accidents in the past 16 years was revealed this month in a Parliamentary answer by the work and pensions minister, Lord Freud.
Equally, the National Farmers’ Union has recently launched its Farm Safety Charter to help cut the number of fatalities occurring in the sector.
Aviva has issued new risk management advice aimed at farm working as part of its Simply Safety campaign – with special guidance for working at height.
Falls from height are the joint second highest cause of death in agriculture and, according to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), 60 people have been killed as a result of a fall in the past decade (16% of all fatalities in the sector).
Phil Grace, liability risk manager at Aviva, said: “Falls from height can result in serious and disabling injuries and in the worst case can be fatal. As well as causing pain and distress, accidents at work cost employers time and money. Those planning or supervising work have a responsibility to do all they can to prevent falls. Failure to do so can result in an investigation from the HSE whether or not an accident or injury has resulted.
“Every year there are a number of successful prosecutions brought against agricultural businesses. In a recent case one farm was fined £8,000 plus £5,000 in costs when an employee suffered a broken collar bone, bruising and concussion after falling twelve feet from a roof.”
With Aviva’s experience suggesting that incidents most commonly occur when farm employees are carrying out building maintenance or repair, working on vehicles or accessing silos, the insurer is urging those responsible for managing farms to put controls in place to manage the risk of a fall.
Grace continued: “Working at any height carries a risk and employers should undertake a full assessment before work starts to avoid putting employees in unnecessary danger. Jobs should be completed from ground level wherever possible and, if work must be carried out at height, it is essential that workers are properly trained, competent to do the job and appropriately supervised at all times. Planning is key and a few simple steps can significantly reduce the risk of an accident.”
The HSE has put together specific advice for those responsible for supervising farm workers on some of the most common dangers faced by agricultural workers4:
– Work on roofs: Ensure workers are appropriately trained and never walk on the purlins or stand on fragile fibre cement roofs and take steps to prevent falls from ladders or crawling boards. Check the weather forecast before starting work since high winds have been known to cause accidents.
– Work on vehicles: Take particular care when climbing down from vehicles – use the steps and handholds and never jump down. Check that access to the high parts of the machine is well-designed when choosing which vehicle to buy so that maintenance work can be carried out safely. Ensure that well-fitting, slip-resistant safety footwear is worn at all times.
– Stacking bales: Plan carefully when loading bales on to trailers. Use end racks or hay ladders and ensure loads are built to bind themselves. Keep stackers away from the side and use sound bales for all edges. Make sure loads are well-secured and that no one rides on top of them.
– Access: Never use pallets, potato crates or other makeshift equipment as a means of gaining access to high places. Similarly the buckets of JCBs and telehandlers are not a safe means of access for working at height. Wherever possible, use purpose made work platforms rather than ladders. If using scaffold, use competent workers to erect it. Ladders can be used if there is no alternative, but make sure that they are well-secured and/or footed, resting on level and firm ground and not leaning against fragile surfaces.
Source : Aviva
