Norfolk farmer says raising awareness about safety is vital, ahead of harvest
There have been a number of combine fires already across the East this year
A farmer from Norfolk is telling us that raising awareness about safety is vital, as harvest season approaches
Whilst It's not been as hot this summer compared to last, there have still already been a few combine fires across the East, as growers dust off their heavy machinery.
"You can't create a safe solution for everything"
Nick Deane works in Hoveton: "Farming is slightly unusual- it has many different circumstances within which you can operate.
"So you can't really be prescriptive because you're working outside and circumstances change very, very quickly. So it could be a dry day that turns wet, then slips, trips and falls spring to mind.
"You can't create a safe solution for everything. You have to be dependent on people themselves taking responsibility for their circumstances, making them aware of the dangers around them and empowering them to act accordingly."
"There's a lot of alone, sole and remote working"
He continued: "It's all about raising awareness- in this industry there's a lot of alone, sole and remote working. It's also about not doing that thing which might be tempting to do, but is not a sensible one.
"We we can do within our control is to make sure we have access to water, access to a cultivator, making your everyone has phones and the right numbers- if a fire does break out."
How serious is the issue?
The Health and Safety Executive, the national regulator for workplace health and safety, says that while the farming industry represents approximately 1.8% of the workforce in the UK, it accounts for about 19% of the reported fatal injuries each year.