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Over the last five years 152 workers have died as a result of injuries sustained on the job[/caption]
Agriculture is known to be one of the most dangerous professions, which often sees farmers and farm workers working in solitude, challenging weather conditions and in stressful situations.
The risks on farms are all well-known and readily managed, but all too often farmers and farm workers put themselves in situations where one slip can have life changing or even fatal consequences.
Figures published in the Health and Safety Executive’s report 'Fatal injuries in agriculture, forestry and fishing in Great Britain 2015/16' highlights just how dangerous the profession can be, with 29 people being killed as a result of farming and other agriculture-related activities during the year.
Over the last five years 152 workers have died as a result of injuries sustained on the job, with 25 resulting from a fall from height, 25 were struck by moving vehicles and 23 were injured by an animal.
According to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) falls are the second highest cause of death in agriculture, stating that every year at least eight people die falling from a height.
Falls often happen from roofs, lofts, ladders, vehicles, bale stacks, and unsuitable access equipment, such as buckets. These accidents and injuries are very painful and can cost your farm time and money.
However, most fall injuries can be avoided by following a few simple guidelines. For example, if you need to raise people above the ground, eg. for building maintenance, make sure you use properly designed work platforms rather than ladders.
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Agriculture is known to be one of the most dangerous professions, which often sees farmers and farm workers working in solitude, challenging weather conditions and in stressful situations[/caption]
The official guidelines also advise farmers never to use grain buckets, pallets, or other makeshift equipment, as serious injuries and deaths have resulted from buckets tipping accidentally.
Unfortunately many incidents, some fatal, involve loading bales on to the trailer, or during or after stacking - a falling bale can kill, so keep people clear when unloading or destacking. It is also important that when loading, farmers check that trailer floors are in good condition and end racks or hay ladders are used and that loads are built to bind themselves.
Stackers are advised to keep away from the edges and drivers should indicate clearly before the trailer is moved. It is also important that full loads are secured before leaving the field and no one rides on them.
FUW President Glyn Roberts said: “Farming can be an incredibly dangerous job. Farmers are in a rush to get jobs done but it can’t be stressed enough that safety has to come first.
“The FUW has long been an official partner of the Wales Farm Safety Partnership and we continue to highlight the importance of following proper health and safety guidelines. Just think about the devastation in a family if a family member is fatally injured or sufferes injuries that prevent them from going about their daily business.
“Agriculture represents about 1.4 percent of the workforce across the UK but astonishingly accounts for up to 20 percent of all reported work-related fatalities in Great Britain. And even though we still have one of the lowest rates of workplace deaths in Europe, one death is still one too many and we don’t want to see our farmers become a farming fatality statistic.”
