Look out - look up - look after yourself - #FarmSafety
- Thread starter News
- Start date
Very important message.
- Location
- Essex
Was anyone unwillingly exposed to this horrific public safety film as a child - As the only farmers son at school I was made to watch it on my own in a darkened room.
Still to this day the scariest film I have ever seen.
Arguably It worked I have avoided ginger farm children ever since and have never had an accident.
Still to this day the scariest film I have ever seen.
Arguably It worked I have avoided ginger farm children ever since and have never had an accident.
Ooooohhhhhhhh.............2wd 5610.
But yes, harrowing.
But that 5610....
Shocking film.
But that 5610....
Awful.
But yes, harrowing.
But that 5610....
Shocking film.
But that 5610....
Awful.
I remember this one from college,still relevant.
Interesting to notice they cheated in the safe clip by having the wheels set wider.
Interesting to notice they cheated in the safe clip by having the wheels set wider.
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Grassman
Member
- Location
- Derbyshire
105. Never knew that.!
Grassman
Member
- Location
- Derbyshire
The thread on do Scottish suckler farmers need support has over 11 thousand views.
This has 380. Does that figure tell a story I wonder.
This has 380. Does that figure tell a story I wonder.
yes it does we are all in agreement rather than having a massive ruck
llamedos
New Member
Having worked with a H&S hat on in a previous employment, it is something I have given much thought to over the years, most people when you mention it are of the mindset, we have always done it this way so..
Only when either they, or someone close to them has had a close call, or, god forbid an accident do they start to take it seriously.
Aside from Agriculture, we all know the building trade used to have an appalling safety record, but they got their act together, why?
I honestly think it is because mindset spreads, and on sites the camaraderie has helped, Agriculture is still so insular.
Time to change.
Only when either they, or someone close to them has had a close call, or, god forbid an accident do they start to take it seriously.
Aside from Agriculture, we all know the building trade used to have an appalling safety record, but they got their act together, why?
I honestly think it is because mindset spreads, and on sites the camaraderie has helped, Agriculture is still so insular.
Time to change.
Grassman
Member
- Location
- Derbyshire
I think it was some well publicised injury claims and health and safety executive investigating deaths on site and giving massive fines.
Force is quite often the only way to make people change the way they do things. I don't think the authorities have been hard enough on farmers to make them change.
llamedos
New Member
Until now that is, but a very sad state of affairs when the only way to change mindset it to hit the pocket.
glasshouse
Member
- Location
- lothians
Building sites dont have octegenarians stotting about or driving machinery or feeding cattle
No kids allowed either,
And they dont have over head powerlines
No kids allowed either,
And they dont have over head powerlines
- Location
- Shropshire
Wow! A bit off topic but I had totally forgotten about that film - I was at school with those children!
I do remember it being made, and being shown it at school, but had forgotten all about it since.
Thinking of showing it to our two, but they are a bit too young yet.
PostHarvest
Member
- Location
- Warwick
I know there are a whole list of reasons why agriculture is so hazardous, but one of them must be cost. The majority of safe working programmes have a cost to the employer, even if its something as minor as buying a hard hat or a hi-vis jacket. Of course, training courses, safe work induction meetings etc can be pretty costly, especially when each worker on a farm needs training in the use of sprayers, telehandlers, access equipment, chain saws etc. A sprayer ticket must cost at least £1000 when the cost of the training and the workers time are taken into consideration, similar for a chain saw ticket. Hire a risk assessment consultant to draw up a farm safety plan and you must expect a four figure bill.
The construction industry has a huge advantage as they just add the cost of these safety measures to the bill that is picked up by their customer. If a roofer needs scaffolding, it's just added to the bill and probably the roofing contractor makes a margin on it. I had work done on the house and was told it needed a scaffolding tower. I was charged £100 for the tower even though it was never used, but "it was company policy" to charge for a tower on all jobs over the ground floor.
If a farm needs a new cattle crush, try asking your friendly local supermarket for 2p per kilo deadweight to help pay for the safer working conditions and they will quickly tell you where to stick your 2p.
It's very rare for any building worker to work on their own. I'm currently doing some work for a major construction company and I've been instructed, there must be no lone working even though its just a data collection job. Who is paying for the extra person? You can bet it's not the construction company, the extra cost is passed straight on to the customer, in this case the tax payer. A huge proportion of farm work is done by lone workers, often using powerful and heavy machinery. This would not be allowed to happen in construction.
I watched a time lapse film of a repair to a railway bridge. It showed dozens of people milling about. The cost of labour must have been huge, but who cares, railtrack just increase the price of the tickets to pay for all those people with all their safety training and hi-vis outfits.
Until, agricultural production is properly financed by realistic farm gate prices, it will never be able to afford to improve safety improvements in line with those of the construction industry.
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- Location
- Essex
The sea change in building site safety was the monitoring of accidents by the customer - Anyone building for Bovis for example is expected to meet a safety specification, monitor and publish site safety records.
You get certificates/awards for safe working on sites and contractors looking for approved status work hard to achieve these. In this example Bovis would have people on site monitoring for best practice/HSE rules before rewarding /penalising good/ bad practice.
When this thought process was first introduced I am sure it was seen as a threat by the construction industry and I expect used as a way of penalising builders.
The reality is it has been a massive success and this mentality exists in large scale farms supplying supermarkets in the UK - no supermarket wants to be linked to a death on a farm that directly supply's them.
However - cereal growers, small farms, and contractors have a very tenuous link to the end Supermarket and don't seem to be under the same incentives to improve a safety record.
So if we were serious about farm HSE we should be demanding it from our retailers and our grain merchants and our contractors and they should be demanding it from their farmers.
You get certificates/awards for safe working on sites and contractors looking for approved status work hard to achieve these. In this example Bovis would have people on site monitoring for best practice/HSE rules before rewarding /penalising good/ bad practice.
When this thought process was first introduced I am sure it was seen as a threat by the construction industry and I expect used as a way of penalising builders.
The reality is it has been a massive success and this mentality exists in large scale farms supplying supermarkets in the UK - no supermarket wants to be linked to a death on a farm that directly supply's them.
However - cereal growers, small farms, and contractors have a very tenuous link to the end Supermarket and don't seem to be under the same incentives to improve a safety record.
So if we were serious about farm HSE we should be demanding it from our retailers and our grain merchants and our contractors and they should be demanding it from their farmers.
multi power
Member
- Location
- pembrokeshire
Never too young to learn something so important
multi power
Member
- Location
- pembrokeshire
I used to think I was fairly well switched on to health and safety, until I had the misfortune to be attending the funeral of a colleague
PostHarvest
Member
- Location
- Warwick
I agree that the building industry has made huge improvements. But the companies have worked together - whether voluntarily or forced, doesn't matter - agreed a programme of safe working practices and built the cost of those safety practices into their selling prices. They all work together on safety matters for the greater good. This hasn't happened in agriculture and I believe is one factor contributing to the difference in accident rates between construction and agriculture.
I also agree that many large scale farms that supply supermarkets have installed good safety systems, some of them persuaded by their insurers, others by customers. But the smaller family farm that is fighting to turn a profit must struggle to justify the cost of safety measures, because there is not much prospect of recouping their cost. Also I admit that the old brigade who still control many family farms are difficult to convince of the need because things were different when they were young. IMHO, its the farmer who is struggling to keep his head above water who is at the greatest risk.
I also agree that many large scale farms that supply supermarkets have installed good safety systems, some of them persuaded by their insurers, others by customers. But the smaller family farm that is fighting to turn a profit must struggle to justify the cost of safety measures, because there is not much prospect of recouping their cost. Also I admit that the old brigade who still control many family farms are difficult to convince of the need because things were different when they were young. IMHO, its the farmer who is struggling to keep his head above water who is at the greatest risk.