Poor physical health: The hidden farm safety risk

Farm safety messaging has long focused on the obvious dangers of agriculture – moving machinery, handling livestock and working at height.

Those risks remain very real, but for many farmers, one of the greatest threats is actually their own body.

Stephanie Berkeley, manager of the Farm Safety Foundation (Yellow Wellies), believes physical health has traditionally been overlooked as a safety issue.

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“Historically, farm safety has focused on the immediate risks that can cause serious injury or death – machinery, vehicles, livestock and falls,” she says.

“Physical health tends to be less visible and develops over time, so it has often been viewed separately from safety.

“But issues such as fatigue, poor mobility, hearing loss, sun exposure and untreated health conditions can significantly increase the risk of accidents, making physical health an essential part of the farm safety conversation.”

The fact that 42% of farmers with a health condition told Farmers Weekly they had felt unsafe at work does not surprise her.

“Farming is an industry where people continue working through pain, injury or long-term health conditions because the job needs to be done,” she says.

“What this statistic highlights is that physical health isn’t just a wellbeing issue, it is a safety issue.”

Stark reality 

For many farmers, that reality is already affecting the way they work.

One livestock farmer in her late sixties, who asked to remain anonymous, lives with osteoporosis and injuries sustained during two serious cattle attacks.

In the second incident she was knocked to the ground and found herself trapped beneath a crowd of cattle.

“I can remember thinking, ‘Well, this is it’,” she recalls.

She still farms today, but has changed how she approaches livestock. She avoids handling cattle alone, stays behind barriers wherever possible, and relies on her son to take over jobs that involve entering fields with young stock.

“You’ve got to be able to leg it,” she says. “And you know when you can’t.”

For another farmer, the danger comes from an injury suffered decades ago.

At 19, he sustained a devastating crush injury to his right hand. Although he has adapted over the years, he still has limited strength and feeling, making routine tasks unpredictable.

Jobs that many farmers perform without a second thought now demand careful planning. Climbing ladders, hanging gates or using power tools all require extra concentration.

“I’ve had to stop doing things because I thought, ‘I can’t carry on doing that. I’m putting myself in an unsafe position’.”

Concentration

Dr Camilla Baker, a GP from a farming family, says conditions such as arthritis, chronic pain and osteoporosis affect much more than physical strength.

“They cause not only physical problems such as pain, stiffness and difficulty performing tasks, but can also impair concentration,” she explains.

Reduced movement and grip strength can make it harder to open gates or move quickly around livestock, while chronic pain is frequently associated with fatigue and slower reaction times.

“Studies have shown that people with chronic pain may process information more slowly and perform tasks more slowly compared with pain-free individuals,” she says.

“That may mean farmers are more likely to miss warning signs or put themselves in hazardous situations.”

Those risks become particularly significant when working around livestock or operating machinery, where a split second can make the difference between avoiding an incident and suffering a serious injury.

Arthritis

For a dairy farmer in her forties, arthritis in both feet has fundamentally changed the way she handles cattle.

“I’m much more aware that I’m not as agile as I used to be,” she says. “I can’t quickly hop from one foot to another to get out of the way.”

She has experienced several livestock-related injuries over the years and now believes investing in improved handling facilities has become essential.

“We absolutely have to invest in better handling,” she says. “Otherwise maybe dairy isn’t for us anymore.”

Her situation highlights another challenge facing many farming families.

Often, they know exactly what would make their work safer, but making those changes requires investment that isn’t always affordable.

Stoicism 

According to Dr Baker, farming’s culture of stoicism and self-reliance also often encourages people to minimise problems until they begin affecting their ability to work.

Ms Berkeley agrees. “I like to say farmers are good eggs – but they’re hard-boiled,” she says.

“How many times have you heard a farmer say, ‘That’s far too dangerous for you, let me do it’?”

She believes that instinct to protect others can sometimes mean older farmers take on tasks that now pose a greater risk.

“Their experience and knowledge might increase with age, but the risks do too,” she says.

Evidence shows older farmers are more likely to suffer serious injuries or fatalities while working with machinery, livestock or at height.

Recovery also tends to take longer and, in some cases, injuries can bring a farming career to an unexpected end.

For many, however, admitting that a task has become too difficult remains one of the hardest steps to take.

“Farming isn’t a job, it’s a way of life and often part of a family’s identity,” says Ms Berkeley.

“What farmer would ever want to admit they can’t do the job anymore? I’m sure it’s a bit like admitting defeat.”

Adaptations

Instead, she believes the conversation needs to shift away from seeing adaptations as signs of weakness.

“We need to help people see that adapting how they work, asking for support or using different equipment isn’t a sign of weakness – it’s a sensible way to stay safe and keep farming for longer.”

That might involve investing in improved livestock-handling systems, changing working practices or simply recognising when a job is no longer safe to tackle alone.

Dr Baker says farmers should regularly ask themselves one simple question: is their health affecting the way they work?

“It’s difficult to say exactly when a health issue becomes a safety issue,” she says.

“But farmers should assess whether their health condition is affecting their concentration, co-ordination or physical capacity.

“If they’re questioning whether they should be doing the task, it’s important they seek help.”

Change the conversation 

Ms Berkeley believes that changing the conversation around physical health could help more farmers stay safe for longer.

“The key message is simple: your health is your most important piece of farm equipment,” she says.

“We need to move away from the idea that physical decline is just something farmers have to put up with and recognise that looking after your health is fundamental to staying safe.”

For the farmers living with arthritis, chronic conditions, osteoporosis and life-changing injuries, that conversation cannot come soon enough.

Their experiences suggest that while machinery, livestock and height will always remain central to farm safety, recognising the impact of physical health may be just as important in helping farmers to continue to do the job they love safely.

Early treatment 

GP Camilla Baker believes many farmers become so accustomed to pain that they stop recognising it as something that needs addressing.

“In a recent Australian study, farmers commonly perceived pain as a normal part of their daily lives and something they needed to push through,” she says.

The problem is that delaying treatment can make many conditions harder to manage.

In osteoarthritis, for example, reducing strain on damaged joints and seeking treatment early may delay the need for joint replacement surgery. Osteoporosis can often be treated once diagnosed, helping to strengthen bones and reduce the risk of fractures.

“The old saying that prevention is better than cure really does stand true,” says Dr Baker.

“Seeking help early can, in some conditions, allow people to remain active for longer.”

But many farmers do the opposite.

“The general consensus is that farmers tend to wait before seeking help with their health,” Dr Baker adds.

“At medical school, we were taught that if a farmer turns up to hospital or their GP, take them seriously.”