Talking Policy

MATTCulley

Now is the time for all who work in our industry to take a good, hard look at what we do and how we behave

The recent spate of fatal farm accidents reported in the farming press has made for stark reading for all who live and work in our industry. As well as the most recent incidents, it is anticipated that in July when the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) publishes fatal accident statistics for 2020/21, the figures will show that around 45 people have lost their lives in farm workplace accidents. This is the highest annual figure for 25 years.

The statistics include farmers, farmworkers, contractors and members of the public and involve people well over retirement age as well as children.

In relation to other industries, agriculture has the worst rate of worker fatalities. It goes without saying that our first thoughts go to the families, friends and loved ones of those who have lost their lives, but our thoughts and actions must not end there.

Now is the time for all who work in our industry to take a good, hard look at what we do and how we behave; to stop making excuses and change our mindset in relation to health, safety and well-being in our day-to-day working practices.

The real sad truth is that the recent fatality figures will not show the whole picture of what happens on-farm. They will not tell of the near misses or minor injuries that could have been more serious. Anecdotal stories would suggest our industry has deep seated issues when it comes to risks being taken at work and if we were to report the near misses and minor injuries and the instances in which they occurred it would make for pretty sobering reading.

Perhaps we need a national platform for farmers and growers to anonymously share such instances so they can be learned from? We need to help educate our industry as there are some parts really trying to make positive changes but other parts where it is simply not cutting through.

Industry representative organisations such as the NFU and Yellow Wellies are trying to raise awareness in health and safety – the NFU’s online Farm Safety Hub gives good practical advice based around accident prevention and also provides guidance on health and safety law alongside further advice from HSE and NFU experts.

The hub centralises its advice around the most common causes of injury and fatality, including transport and machinery, working at height and working with livestock. Things as simple as following the Safe Stop procedure when getting out of a cab (engage handbrake, put controls in neutral, switch off engine, remove key) can save the lives of many – which I think we can all agree is worth the extra few minutes it takes to turn everything back on again.

And it’s not only those who work on our farms that we need to consider when addressing the risks of our working environment. Of course we have family who live on-site and friends who visit to think of, but also those who visit the farm to carry out their own working duties such as agricultural merchant reps or machinery engineers.

The effects of our poor health and safety record have recently been stated to me by the Agricultural Industries Confederation in discussions regarding on-farm grain sampling for this coming harvest. The vast majority of merchants will no longer be sending out grain sampling personnel to our farms this year and health and safety risks are being cited as the main reason for this decision.

So, for the second harvest running growers will be responsible for sampling their own grain in readiness for merchant collections. It is imperative for all growers to have grain sampling procedures in place so it can be done safely and accurately and there is plenty of good guidance available from the AHDB, the NFU and merchant guidance for this to be achieved, so please use them.

With our busiest period approaching we need to reflect and prepare with health, safety and well- being at the forefront of our minds. Because it’s not just about bad statistics – it’s about people’s lives, our own and those of friends, family and colleagues.

About the author

rNFU crops board chairman Matt Culley is a fourth-generation farmer from Hampshire working in partnership with his parents and brother rThe 720-hectare enterprise produces wheat, barley, oilseed rape, forage maize and rye for anaerobic digestion across varying soil types, from chalk and chalk loam to clay cap. This includes 170ha of owned and rented land and 540ha of contract farming agreements rThe family also runs a pick-your-own soft fruit and summer vegetables business