Farming fatalities continue to blight the industry

Agriculture continues to have the worst workplace safety record relative to the size of its workforce of any industry.

This is according to latest figures on work-related fatalities from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) released on Thursday (6 July).

The figures show that out of a total death toll of 135 for the 12 months to the end of March in Great Britain, farming accounted for 21 – a very similar figure to 2021-22.

See also: Safety plea after 18 people killed on farms this year

This absolute number was only exceeded by the construction sector, with 45 fatalities. But in terms of deaths per 100,000 workers employed, agriculture still stands out as the most dangerous sector.

The fact that the figures are on a par with last year is hardly a good news story, says Farm Safety Foundation manager Stephanie Berkeley.

“These figures just relate to the number of farmworkers who have died in the course of their work,” she said.

“The data does not include members of the public who have died on farms in the past year, nor the number of children.

“That information will come in just over a week when we launch Farm Safety Week (from 17-21 July).

“The theme for that is going to be that ‘farm safety starts with me’. Everything is replaceable, but you are not replaceable.”

The latest HSE figures only go up until 31 March 2023, but it is understood there has been an uplift in the number of farm fatalities since then, with five fatalities recorded in June alone.

The HSE figures confirm that falls from height, being struck by a moving object, and being struck by a moving vehicle are the three most common causes of death.

It’s a similar picture in Ireland where figures from the Health and Safety Authority, this week, show there were 13 deaths on Irish farms in 2022 –  the highest number of work-related fatalities in any sector.

Commenting on the GB figures, NFU vice-president David Exwood said the statistics made for very difficult reading.

“They all represent a life lost in our industry, a colleague, friend or family member. It is deeply frustrating that agriculture has the highest rate of fatal injury, when we know where the risks lie and what actions we should be taking.”

These include using the Safe Stop procedure when getting out of a machine, wearing a helmet on an ATV, working safely at height, and planning an escape route when working in livestock fields.