Tidy your workshop, says HSE

FARMERS ARE being urged by the Health and Safety Executive to tidy up their workshops.

HSE agricultural inspector Tim Beaumont said if farmers sorted out the workshop it would ensure a safer working environment.

“Stuff on the floor can be tripped over which can lead to some very serious injuries. Keeping your workshop tidy will also help you find things quicker,” he said.

“Ask yourself if, hand on heart, you really need that old bit of box section you are hanging onto ‘just in case‘. If you really must keep it, store it away safely from your work area.”

Mr Beaumont said farmers should also check electric flexes and think about ways to store items at waist height, as bending down put them at risk of back injury.

“Your capacity to lift an object increases and your risk of injury decreases the straighter you keep your back when lifting and the closer to your torso you hold the object.

“Most of this advice is cheap and easy to implement. The type of accidents that can occur in the workshop tend not to be headline makers but they can keep you off work for significant periods of time.”