The Farmers Mart Feb-Mar 2019 - Issue 61 | Page 14

14 FARM NEWS
FEB/MAR 2019 • farmers-mart.co.uk
FARMERS CANNOT AFFORD
TO PAY “LIP SERVICE” TO
HEALTH AND SAFETY
FARMERS must be prepared to
dedicate time and resource to
health and safety standards to
avoid falling foul of government
inspections, an agricultural risk
expert has warned.
Richard Wade, risk specialist for
Farmers and Mercantile Insurance
Brokers (FMIB), urged farmers to
take workplace risk seriously or
face severe penalties, following
the launch of the latest raft of
targeted on-farm inspections by
the Health and Safety Executive
(HSE).
The initiative will see inspectors
visiting hundreds of farms up
until March 2019, as part of HSE’s
continued efforts to crackdown
on high rates of death and serious
injury in the industry and change
attitudes to risk.
Richard said: “Agriculture is an
industry in which risks are poorly
managed, evidenced by persis-
tently high rates of death, serious
injury and ill-health.
“There are a number of factors
that make managing risk a chal-
lenge – more farmers are having
to work alone, to an older age,
and with more high-powered ma-
chinery. More and more farmers
are also under financial strain, so
dedicating precious time and re-
sources to managing risk may be a
low priority for them – particular-
ly if they are self-employed.
“But farmers cannot afford to
simply pay lip service to health
and safety.
“A lax attitude to health and
safety policies, letting standards
slip or ineffectively managing risk
is a false economy; if breaches are
found during inspections or after
workplace incidents, farmers will
find themselves in hot water, fac-
ing huge fines or even jail-time.”
Agriculture represents just 1.2
per cent of the workforce in Great
Britain but accounts for 20 per cent
of reported work-related fatalities
each year. HSE has previously
estimated the economic cost of
workplace injury and ill health in
agriculture to be £293m.
In 2017/18, 33 people were killed
in agriculture – around 18 times
higher than the all industry fatal
injury rate – and 13,000 people
are estimated to suffer from a
non-fatal injury – double the all
industry rate. Additionally, there
are estimated to be 15,000 cases
of occupational ill-health reported
to be caused or made worse by
work each year.
During farm visits, inspectors
will look at key risk areas, includ-
ing machinery, falls from height,
and livestock – which account for
many of the fatal and non-fatal
injuries – as well as child safety.
Two children were killed in agri-
culture last year – the youngest
being just four years old.
Richard said that farmers should
not be panicked by these in-
spections and that it presents an
opportunity to implement robust
risk management procedures, if
they are not already in place.
He said: “The best way to deal
with a HSE inspection is to ensure
that you are compliant with health
and safety law. We know farmers
are incredibly busy and may feel
they do not have the time to re-
view, implement and enforce bet-
ter health and safety standards.
“But farmers can take simple,
practical steps to improve their
performance. Firstly, they should
identify the risks posed by their
business and create health and
safety policies aimed at reducing
these risks. Robust risk assess-
ments and regular health and
safety training will help ensure
standards do not slip.
Richard Wade
“Farmers who are hard-pressed
for time should consider appoint-
ing someone within the business
to look after health and safety
policies and procedures, ensuring
they have the training and knowl-
edge required, or seek support
from an external expert, who can
identify gaps and missed opportu-
nities, as well as make recommen-
dations for improvements.”
Richard said that farmers should
also bear in mind the tougher
penalties imposed on those who
breach health and safety laws.
Following a shake-up to
sentencing guidelines, farming
companies with a turnover of up
to £2m who are found to have
breached the Health and Safety at
Work Act 1974 can now expect to
pay fines of up to £450,000. Indi-
viduals found guilty of breaching
the law can be handed unlimited
fines or face a two-year prison
sentence.
In 2017/18, the HSE issues 272
improvement notices and 68 pro-
hibition notices to businesses in
agriculture, forestry and fishing.
Out of 17 prosecution cases, 16
resulted in a guilty verdict. The
fines from these prosecutions
totalled around £300,000 – an av-
erage finer per case of £19,000.
“These tougher penalties are
meant to act as a deterrent – and
farmers should be aware that
lapses in judgement, or a failure to
take a proactive approach to safe-
ty, could cripple their operations,”
added Richard.
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