Safety week sends out stark message to farmers

FARM Safety Week 2016 has been posing the simple question: If you weren’t here, who would fill your boots?

Now in its fourth year, Farm Safety Week aims to cut the number of accidents which give agriculture the poorest record of any occupation in the UK and Ireland.

As part of the awareness raising campaign, which ends tomorrow (July 8), NFU Scotland has been highlighting some of the main causes of death or injury on farms – falls, livestock, machinery and transport, with a special focus on child safety.

Last year, 33 fatal injuries to agricultural workers were recorded – a rate of 9.12 deaths per 100,000 workers, which is significantly higher than any other industry.

Cabinet secretary for the rural economy, Fergus Ewing MSP, said: ‘Farm Safety Week is a great initiative to help raise awareness of safety issues on Scotland’s farms.

‘More than 70 per cent of work-related deaths on Scotland’s farms come as a result of four main causes: falls from height, transport, equipment and cattle handling.

‘Farm Safety Week is taking steps to tackle the high number of accidents and fatalities in the agriculture industry – which is the highest in any working environment across these islands.’

NFU Scotland has plenty of farm safety information available. To find out more, go to www.nfus.org.uk or visit the NFUS Facebook page.

Farming has the poorest safety record of any UK industry.