Risk assessment/health and safety policy requirements for Red Tractor

ewald

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Mid-Lincs
Before we start, I accept that these are two of the most contentious topics on this forum.

However.

I understand that even small farms are now required to have a health and safety policy (including farm risk assessment) to comply with the new standards.
I am reluctantly going to carry on as a member, so what do I need to have in place to comply? I don't want to pay someone to come in and draw up a policy. If you have done your own, what were the most useful info sources/templates? I have done a forum search and haven't really found anything relevant.

Thanks for any useful replies, can we keep the usual knee-jerk reactions to a minimum?
 

roscoe erf

Member
Livestock Farmer
Before we start, I accept that these are two of the most contentious topics on this forum.

However.

I understand that even small farms are now required to have a health and safety policy (including farm risk assessment) to comply with the new standards.
I am reluctantly going to carry on as a member, so what do I need to have in place to comply? I don't want to pay someone to come in and draw up a policy. If you have done your own, what were the most useful info sources/templates? I have done a forum search and haven't really found anything relevant.

Thanks for any useful replies, can we keep the usual knee-jerk reactions to a minimum?
trouble is it won't end with this they will keep pushing more and more on you and other members and what has this to do with food safety sweet f.a h.s.e is already law and there is no need for this Mickey Mouse scheme to get involved with something they have no right or expertise in
 

melted welly

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
DD9.
Before we start, I accept that these are two of the most contentious topics on this forum.

However.

I understand that even small farms are now required to have a health and safety policy (including farm risk assessment) to comply with the new standards.
I am reluctantly going to carry on as a member, so what do I need to have in place to comply? I don't want to pay someone to come in and draw up a policy. If you have done your own, what were the most useful info sources/templates? I have done a forum search and haven't really found anything relevant.

Thanks for any useful replies, can we keep the usual knee-jerk reactions to a minimum?
Your hse policy could just be a single page statement saying that you follow all current hse guidelines, don’t put yourself or others in danger in the course of your work and all machinery conforms to UK HSE standards.

farm risk assessment similar

Dont make things overly complicated. Hse have some pretty user friendly templates. See if some of them fit your situation. Or contact them directly for direction.

At the end of the day, it’s HSE who turn up at accidents and tragedies, not Red Tractor so I’d take my advice from them.
 

DrWazzock

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lincolnshire
Before we start, I accept that these are two of the most contentious topics on this forum.

However.

I understand that even small farms are now required to have a health and safety policy (including farm risk assessment) to comply with the new standards.
I am reluctantly going to carry on as a member, so what do I need to have in place to comply? I don't want to pay someone to come in and draw up a policy. If you have done your own, what were the most useful info sources/templates? I have done a forum search and haven't really found anything relevant.

Thanks for any useful replies, can we keep the usual knee-jerk reactions to a minimum?
Go to the RT website first. I think there was a link to the HSE website that eventually takes you to a simple template form for doing your own risk assessments in a small business scenario.
RT told me that as I’m self employed my risk assessments for my own work don’t need writing down but those for visitors of any kind do need writing down. So my written assessments cover the public footpath, hauliers, reps, general enquirers. The result was a few extra signs up warming of agricultural machinery in operation, no access to unauthorised personnel at building entrances, and a sign telling all visitors to report to reception (where they would receive a safety briefing, any PPE and a supervisor to guide them round the site. Also 5 mph sign.
RT man gave it a cursory glance and ticked the box. Wherever any visitor takes any notice is a different matter but I do feel I’m better covered risk wise than I was before.
 

DrWazzock

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lincolnshire
There is also a 2 sided A4 leaflet down loadable from HSE explaining health and safety law. This needs to be at hand to give to visitors doing anything on your premises.

If you have employees it’s requires are much more intensive approach.
 

B'o'B

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Rutland
For RT write on a piece of paper

“It is my written Health and Safety is for employees to remain healthy and safe. Employees should also do their upmost to avoid having accidents.
This policy has been effectively communicated to all relevant employees ”

That on the face of it meets the standard as they have written it.
 

roscoe erf

Member
Livestock Farmer
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B'o'B

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Rutland
My above comment is flippant and H&S should be taken seriously.

However, RT are not the people to do this and the way they introduced it has been appalling.

Speaking to Tom Bradshaw on Friday he pointed out how bad Ag is for H&S incidents, to which I countered it is also poor for mental health.

The way RT introduced this, announcing it basically at the start of harvest and are enforcing it from the end of crop establishment season. Over what was the most frustrating harvest of my farming career. We didn’t need any more stress adding and it shows how little this is about farmers health and safety, and more about RT big-upping themselves. Thank goodness the other nonsense in the standards consultation was thrown out
 
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tullah

Member
Location
Linconshire
Go to the RT website first. I think there was a link to the HSE website that eventually takes you to a simple template form for doing your own risk assessments in a small business scenario.
RT told me that as I’m self employed my risk assessments for my own work don’t need writing down but those for visitors of any kind do need writing down. So my written assessments cover the public footpath, hauliers, reps, general enquirers. The result was a few extra signs up warming of agricultural machinery in operation, no access to unauthorised personnel at building entrances, and a sign telling all visitors to report to reception (where they would receive a safety briefing, any PPE and a supervisor to guide them round the site. Also 5 mph sign.
RT man gave it a cursory glance and ticked the box. Wherever any visitor takes any notice is a different matter but I do feel I’m better covered risk wise than I was before.
Another, of many, four wasted hours that could be better spent either enjoying life or running the farm
 

Mur Huwcun

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
North West Wales
Plenty ready made RA on the web, print a load of relevant ones off, stick in a folder and create a matrix as a first page listing them all with blank boxes for annual reviews or any ammendments. Once a year sgribble a date and signature in box after you’ve reviewed them or if a new employer has been shown them. H&S policy template on NFU website.
 

Hindsight

Member
Location
Lincolnshire
Go to the RT website first. I think there was a link to the HSE website that eventually takes you to a simple template form for doing your own risk assessments in a small business scenario.
RT told me that as I’m self employed my risk assessments for my own work don’t need writing down but those for visitors of any kind do need writing down. So my written assessments cover the public footpath, hauliers, reps, general enquirers. The result was a few extra signs up warming of agricultural machinery in operation, no access to unauthorised personnel at building entrances, and a sign telling all visitors to report to reception (where they would receive a safety briefing, any PPE and a supervisor to guide them round the site. Also 5 mph sign.
RT man gave it a cursory glance and ticked the box. Wherever any visitor takes any notice is a different matter but I do feel I’m better covered risk wise than I was before.

Out of interest Dr W do you have a video H&S induction course for your farm site which it is understandably business policy for all visitors to sit through and sign off. Could this be around an hour long and essential to comply with H&S policy that the RT inspector undertakes this before leaving the farm office to go on site when they inspect buildings etc.
 
I would recommend going online this afternoon and doing a IOSH managing safety course, costs about £100 from the likes of hsqe.co.uk, it will give you a good basic introduction into mangling safety including policy, risk assessments, COSHH, method statements etc.. IIRC you will have to do a risk assessment assignment of your own that will be marked by a assessor.
Simple online course like that are a good stepping stone into it as you do need to have a basic understanding of what is in your H&S file.
Forgot about the RT side of it just so it for your business.
 

DrWazzock

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lincolnshire
Another, of many, four wasted hours that could be better spent either enjoying life or running the farm
It took me a fortnight to get up to scratch with the new scheme requirements. Hopefully that’s now all in place and will last a few years before they it all again. I did learn a bit though. Not entirely wasted time if it saves me from running over the lorry driver or at least I can say I did my best if it does happen.
 

DrWazzock

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lincolnshire
This is where a roving adviser to help small farmers comply with RT would pay dividends. Non confrontational, not an inspector just an informal adviser with some template or standard forms to get folks started, and a big lever arch file divided into the relevant sections.
You’d think the NFU would do this for free for paying members. Maybe they do. They would if they’d any sense. It’s their scheme they should help out with it.
 

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Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

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As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
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