Spotlight On – Health and safety in the agricultural sector

Health and safety in the agricultural sector

A recent survey has put the spotlight on health and safety culture in the agricultural sector, looking at farmers’ attitudes and what can be done to reduce the occurrence of accident and injury in the sector.

In the UK, the agricultural sector remains one of the most deadly industries. In fact, the HSE have said that agriculture, forestry and fishing is the riskiest industry sector in terms of fatal injuries. Whilst the sector accounts for just 1 in 100 workers, it accounts for 1 in 5 fatal injuries to workers.

A survey undertaken by Farmers Guardian has revealed several key findings about attitudes towards health and safety. Findings include:

Many farmers felt that the reason for such a poor record of health and safety in the sector included frequent lone working – with upwards of 70% of respondents saying they spent their working week alone. Constant time constraints due to weather and daylight constraints were also cited. A significant number of respondents blamed a ‘complacent’ attitude in the industry.

Age was also seen as a contributory factor amongst respondents – with family farming often leading to a combination of aging workers, young workers, and inexperienced workers being on site.

The Farmers Guardian have written an article on their survey here, as well as compiling following infographics which you can find on their twitter account (@FarmersGuardian)

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