Fatal injuries on farms continue to remain high but farmers in Lincolnshire say 'it's the nature of the job'
Farming has the poorest safety record of any occupation in the UK and Ireland, with 42 people losing their lives on farms over the past year.
Farmers in Lincolnshire are raising awareness about the dangers of working in the sector.
With agricultural mortality rates remaining stubbornly high compared with other sectors in which fatal accident rates have generally decreased, the farming industry is in demand to change, as it can’t keep ploughing on.
The figures released from the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) Fatal Injuries in Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing in GB Report 2022/23, support this picture as it is revealed that, after an encouraging improvement in the previous year’s figures, this year’s numbers show that 27 lives were lost on farms in Great Britain compared to 30 last year, with 33% of people killed aged 65 and over.
Of the 27 people killed in England, Scotland and Wales in the past year, 21 were farm workers and 6 were members of the public, including a child.
The picture remains similar in Northern Ireland where farming accounted for 3 of the 8 (38%) reported workplace fatalities in 2022/2023 (HSENI). In the Republic of Ireland, farming - which accounts for 8% of the workforce (according to CSO’s Labour Force Survey) has 40% of all workplace fatal incidents – 12 of the 20 reported in 2022/2023.
Nick Dowler is a sheep farmer in Lincoln and is also the Lincolnshire Chairman for the National Farmers' Union.
He says the job struggles to match the safety of others:
"Within the farming industry, it's been an ongoing problem regarding safety because to try and bring down the number of accidents on farms, it is a unique environment. We have a home environment and work environment mixed, of which the work environment can be a dangerous place.
"It's vitally important that safety awareness is at the forefront of everybody's mind and thoughtfulness goes into preparation. However, things do occur which may be hazardous.
"For example, there you are harvesting the crop, you've got two or three acres to go. You're gonna see rain clouds coming in. You need to get that in before the rain hits you. You tend to speed up and at that point sometimes you're rushing and that's when mistakes creep in.
"Similarly, I suppose if you're taking heavy stock or stock to a market and it needs to be there for an arrival time, you've got an awkward bull that won't go on board your trailer, you're trying to hurry. You're not thinking safety. So, it's this mix of a rather unusual environment, always being at home but also at work and also the pressures of the day."
He added that the consequences of making a mistake can be life-changing on farms:
"The absolute worst consequences is that you can lose your life, quite easily. The huge size of the modern machines... and you don't need much of a clout from a great big machine to do yourself some serious injury, and and also working with very large cattle. They can be pretty dangerous, and even a hefty Ram heading at you, if it hits you in the wrong place, at the wrong time, it's not good news.
"So, I suppose ultimately it could mean you're death, but it can also change your life completely. I know colleagues who've lost arms, who've lost fingers, who've lost limbs, people with terrible injuries to their backs, necks, eyes.
"So almost any injury can be found on if you look carefully within the farming industry, but therefore we really, really need to emphasise farm safety every year."
Farm Safety Week is an annual initiative led by the Farm Safety Foundation (Yellow Wellies) and supported by hundreds of farming businesses and organisations across the five partners countries - England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
Rising concern over the continuing high level of fatal and life-changing injury accidents on farms prompted leading rural insurer NFU Mutual to set up a charitable foundation called the Farm Safety Foundation, in 2014 to help farmers work safely.
The Foundation works closely with partners in the industry to engage, educate and communicate strong and relatable farm safety messages.
Over the past eight years, the Farm Safety Foundation has developed and delivered farm safety training for 21,000 young farmers in 44 land-based colleges and universities throughout the UK and through the Young Farmers’ Club network.
Through providing resources including their Build Your Own Health & Safety Policy digital tool and The Little Book of Minding Your Head as well as national campaigns such as Farm Safety Week and Mind Your Head, the Farm Safety Foundation is preserving and protecting the physical and mental wellbeing of the next generation of farmers and equipping them with smart strategies and specific skills to live well and farm well.