21 July 2004 - HSE Committed to Reducing Deaths in Welsh Farming Industry
Figures
have been released by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) with regard to
deaths in the Welsh Farming Industry, which show 6 deaths in 2003/04. This
is 2 more than last year.
Five deaths of these six happened during the use or repair to vehicles, of
which one involved an 8 year old child being crushed under the wheels of a
fork-lift truck whilst doing a reverse manoeuvre.
Both Wales and Great Britain as a whole, have a very similar pattern within
the employed and self-employed sectors.
The trend seems to show, that the self-employed sector has a much higher
rate of fatal incidents than the employed sector.
Within the last ten years, 57 workers in Wales have been killed in the
farming industry, of which there are four times more within the
self-employed area. Also, Great Britain, as a whole, shows a downward trend
in fatal incidents only within the employed sector.
Dr Roger Nourish, Head of HSE’s Agriculture and Food sector, commented:
“I
regret that I have to report an increase in fatal accidents in Welsh
farming. Last year HSE stated its commitment to reduce needless deaths on
Welsh farms by appealing to communities and families to work with us.
Clearly there is still much work to be done.
“Sensible health and safety is about managing risks, not eliminating
all risk, and farmers are the best-placed to do this. Health and safety is a
fundamental requirement of sustainable farming and should be regarded as
integral to good farm business management.
“Each
year there are more transport-related incidents in Great Britain than any
other category. These latest tragic statistics for Wales underline the
risks. So today I am pleased to launch the Tractor Action video, which uses
hard-hitting reconstructions and describes safe working practices for
tractor operations. The video demonstrates how simple errors can lead to
disaster and describes basic steps that reduce the risk. This video is part
of a training package that includes a Safety Training Guide for lecturers
and trainers and a Tractor action leaflet for students and trainees.
“Welsh farmers are particularly vulnerable – many work in small family
enterprises or are self-employed and working alone. We will continue our
programme of Safety and Health Awareness Days for this audience,
demonstrating common risks and sensible, practical solutions.
“Sustainable farming can only be achieved if farmers are alive and well.
Therefore I want to appeal directly to farming families – ask your loved
ones what work they are doing and how will they ensure they get home in one
piece. For further advice and support go to our website or phone our info
line.”
Steve Coppell, HSE’s Head of operations in Wales, also commented:
”We
will continue to work with our stakeholders such as the Welsh Assembly,
Government agencies, agricultural colleges, farming unions, Lantra and
Farming Connect, who can influence farmers to improve risk control.
Accidents are traumatic for all involved – they are also costly in financial
terms (the cost to farmers and farm workers of accidents in Wales for
2003/04 was about £20.9 million). We will work to help farmers comply with
the law but we will take a hard line with people who flout it.”
Some details on Welsh deaths in the agricultural sector 2003/2004:
-
A 59 year-old, self-employed forestry worker was found late in the evening with a tree trunk on top of his body and legs. He was working alone in strong gusting winds.
-
A 51 year old, self-employed farmer sustained fatal head and chest injuries when he fell from a bucket attached to a telehandler being driven by his son. He was felling a tree, which was supported by a tractor using chains. The tree fell backwards and he fell from the bucket as the telehandler overturned.
-
An 8-year-old boy was crushed under the wheels of a reversing fork lift truck (FLT) during the school holidays. He was staying at his grandparents’ farm where he was given rides around the farm. It is not known exactly what happened but it is believed the child either fell from the FLT whilst it was reversing or ran towards the reversing vehicle.
-
A 74 year old, self-employed farmer was crushed against a bucket attached to a tractor when a square bale of straw fell on top of him. He was forking silage into a tractor bucket when the bale fell from the top of the clamp crushing him against the bucket.
-
A 25-year-old employee died whilst inflating a tractor tyre. He had removed a tractor wheel and leaned it against the side of a trailer. Having repaired the inner tube, he was re-inflating the tyre, using a compressor, when the inner tube failed, throwing the wheel and him across the yard.
-
A 57-year-old employee died when he lost control of his ATV quad bike and collided with railings covering a gap in a wall in the farm’s slurry collection yard. The gap allowed slurry to be pushed into a collection trailer, positioned below. The ATV was fitted with a scraper attachment. The deceased was found trapped between the ATV seat and the railings: the ATV hanging over the open edge.
Article by Alexandra Johnston
