Farming is one of Britain’s most dangerous occupations. Last year alone, 38 farmers were killed as they went about their work, according to provisional figures from the HSE. Many more were seriously injured. Many accidents happen because farmers are up against the clock, the weather or just tired.
NFYFC vice chairman James Chapman lost his arm when his safety vest caught in the unguarded universal joint of a PTO shaft.
“I was under pressure to finish a job and had an accident which has changed my life forever. As the future of farming, YFC members have a great opportunity to be ambassadors for farm safety and to help stop farming being one of the most dangerous jobs in Britain.
Andrew Pursey's story, told here by his family, shows the terrible impact that an accident can have..."
Since January 2009, 15,000 British farmers have made the promise to themselves, their families and their farms to Come Home Safe.
Every young farmer knows that agriculture is one of the most important professions in the UK, ensuring the upkeep of our countryside, providing local employment and providing the food for us all to eat.
However, it is also one of the most dangerous. In the past 10 years, 455 people have died – nearly one person every week. Many more farmers are seriously injured and lose their livelihoods as a result.
The Health & Safety Executive’s (HSE) Make the Promise. Come Home Safe campaign asks everyone involved in farming to make a simple promise: to come home safely at the end of the day.
Most deaths and injuries happen in the same circumstances – accidents with vehicles, machinery, electricity, livestock or falls from height.
The campaign acknowledges the immense pressures that farmers are under and encourages them to stop and think when they are tired, in a hurry or up against the weather – for themselves, their families and their farms.
Make the Promise also calls on everyone, especially young farmers, to share the promise with their friends and family, and to display a promise knot, a symbolic knot of baling twine, at home or on the farm to act as a reminder of their pledge.
Over the course of the next few months, HSE will be sharing updates from the campaign with all YFC members, including real life stories.
HSE will also be offering details of how you can get more involved, from telling your stories, to helping share the message of safety with your friends and family.
Click here to sign up to the campaign and order Promise Knots and your free copy of How Lives are Lost on British Farms.
Farm Safety
You can’t work safely unless you know how to – make sure someone experienced shows you what to do or that you have been properly trained.
Being hit by a moving vehicle, driven or runaway, is the biggest cause of fatalities. Keep pedestrians and vehicles apart if possible, ensure handbrakes are well maintained and follow ‘safe stop’ procedures (leave the gear in neutral, put on the handbrake and take out the key).
Roofs are often fragile, even if they don’t look it. Falls from roofs cause several deaths every year. Treat all roofs as fragile and use equipment such as harnesses, coverings and guard rails.
Riding a quad bike is not the same as riding a motorbike. Make sure that you are trained in the correct techniques and wear a helmet, as most injuries are sustained to the head.
Livestock can be unpredictable even when you know them well. Using the right equipment and following safe working practices is better than trusting in the good nature of a bull or a cow and calf.
Don’t forget overhead power lines – many accidents happen because people drive underneath power lines, forgetting that they are working with equipment raised.
Slurry, effluent and moist grain stores are confined spaces and can all contain high levels of toxic gases – sometimes causing the death of a rescuer as well. You should never enter them unless you have made sure it is safe.
Read the stories of other YFC members who are helping highlight the campaign
Latest news about the campaign from HSE