Farm deaths rise by 50%

Fatal accidents rose by 50% on UK farms last year, the Health and Safety Executive has revealed.

There were 38 deaths in farming in the year to April 2010, up from 25 in the previous year. This compares with 151 deaths across all industries, a fall of 27 on 2008/09.

HSE chairman Judith Hackitt said that she would urge her children not to take up a career in farming because of the dangers.

“I would be concerned if my children wanted to go into farming because of its very poor safety record which is two-and-a-half times worse than construction.”

“As well as the high number of deaths there are also hundreds of injuries, many of which we don’t hear about.”

The HSE has recently conducted its “Make the Promise. Come home safe” campaign. Although Ms Hackitt said it had been a success, she acknowledged that its impact would be limited without farmers themselves taking health and safety more seriously.

The fatality figures have prompted the NFU to call for a concerted effort to make agriculture safer.

NFU president Peter Kendall said the fact that deaths had not declined when the number of farmers has fallen means the industry’s safety record is actually getting worse.

He gathered support from NFU council delegates for a campaign and summit to bring together all parts of the industry to see how health and safety can be improved. The summit is likely to take place in the autumn.