Vigilance urged to keep children safe on farms
A farm or croft can be a magical place for children, where independence and responsibility are fostered and family relationships strengthened – but it can also be a dangerous place where the unthinkable can happen in seconds.
That was the stark warning issued by the Farm Safety Partnership (FSP) on the last day of Farm Safety Week, an initiative which aims to encourage the industry to take action on its abysmal safety record which, year after year, records the highest workplace accident and death rate of any occupation in the UK and Ireland.
The FSP said that unlike other industries, farms tended to be family homes as well as workplaces, with children often present. In figures released this week by the HSE, of the three members of the public killed in 2016-17, one was a three-year-old child. This was the first child death for three years, bringing the total to four child deaths over the past five years.
NFU Scotland chief executive, Scott Walker, speaking on behalf of the partnership in Scotland, said: “We need the help of Scotland’s farmers and crofters, and those working right across the industry, to reduce death and injuries happening on our farms and crofts.
“Farms and crofts can be dangerous places so it is important that everyone takes the necessary steps to stay safe while working. One death within the industry is far too many, and it is not just the initial impact but the long-term effect it can have on families and on the business.”
He said that the impact was worse when a child was involved, adding: “We are pleading with the industry to take measures to make their farms and crofts a safer place – create designated spaces, educate children about off-limit areas and make workers aware that children could be on farm and to check their [vehicle] mirrors even more regularly. Simple measures could prevent heartbreak.”
Stephanie Berkeley of the Farm Safety Foundation, the charity behind Farm Safety Week, said while growing up in the countryside could be magical, farms and croft could also be dangerous places.
She said: “Growing up on a farm or croft brings both challenges and blessings. It builds character and a solid work ethic and creates an attitude of optimism.
“We have witnessed events recently in this world that could make me lose faith in humanity, but I am constantly reminded that in our wonderful world of farming and crofting, a sense of community and neighbourly love still exists.”