Things that would improve farm safety ?

[Ivorbiggun]

Given that most farms carried on as normal during Covid (cab, vehicle sharing etc) you’ve got no chance in helping them.

 

[Pilatus]

"More than 50 people have died in farm-related accidents during the past 12 months – equivalent to almost one person a week killed while working in UK agriculture.

The death toll – which has nearly doubled in a single year – means the fatal accident rate in UK farming is now at its highest level for some 25 years, according to initial estimates compiled byFarmers Weekly."

View attachment 954860

https://www.hse.gov.uk/agriculture/pdf/agriculture-fatal-injuries-1920.pdf

This is just a thought.Compared to other industries agriculture is a very weather driven industry especially arable/crop farming ,also silage and hay making for livestock farmers. Therefore due to weather creating short periods of time to complete field operations in ideal conditions ,so we may quite inadvertently be putting our own / staff health and safety at risk because “ WE MUST GET THIS JOB DONE TODAY SO CANT WASTE ANY TIME” so risks are taken which may lead to an accident sadly sometimes fatal.
The problem being compounded in agriculture due to many working on our own, when filling hoppers on implements , making adjustments/ repairing machinery, and unblocking equipment with the chance of getting pinched or limbs amputated if something suddenly rotates.
All in all not a good situation.

 

[l'ordinary bonville]

I wonder what the fatality rate is of paid employees in agriculture??

Many farm deaths are owners who might not try to mitigate risk themselves, probably more so the older they get.

I'm guessing where farmers employ non family paid employees the statistics are much different as those farmers (ought to) operate more professionally with regard to protocols, housekeeping etc

 

[thesilentone]

But don’t we already have more than enough legislation. Surely we do when I am liable if a roofer falls through my roof because I as the site owner and amateur haven’t vetted his working practices. WTF more do you expect me to do?

As an owner who is buying the services off a third party, you must ensure he/they have. 1) A health and safety policy that is up to date. 2) Ensure they have the full insurance cover for all matters arising from the task. 3) Provide a general safe area for the work to be carried out. (any site risks fenced off or covered) 4) Make sure he/they and his/their employee's are competent to do the work.

Then you have taken reasonable action to ensure he/they are safe and competent to work on your job.

If you see blatant risks being taken, then you must ask the contractor to stop work until safety measures are put in place, at his/their cost, not your's.

If you don't know what you are doing, then you need to employ a principle contractor who will take over the whole project and liabilities that go with it, however at a price.

 

[simmy_bull]

Hmmmm. PTO guards. Interesting one. Clearly an issue. Clearly plastic guards aren't fit for purpose.
Will machinery manufacturers upgrade PTO guarding ?
Nope. Far easier to blame farmers for not replacing them every 10 minutes.

What ever happened to those guards made by Spaldings that were a rubber accordion type of thing. Never saw many of those about but I thought they looked like a good idea. Pto completely sealed in but good access for greasing.

 

[Bury the Trash]

.Bump.

 

[Mark Hatton]

What, if anything, do you use on a daily basis to record faults, issues with machinery, damage to buildings and farm infrastructure?
Do you record these kinds of issues or do you just add them to the mental to do list?

 

[SteveHants]

But don’t we already have more than enough legislation. Surely we do when I am liable if a roofer falls through my roof because I as the site owner and amateur haven’t vetted his working practices. WTF more do you expect me to do?

If it's the same stats as I read today - 77% of fatalities involve the over 60s and a significant majority also involve livestock.

 

[Bury the Trash]

Keep a watch out for the top link held on its hook or hanger when not hitched to an implement , potentially right above your head when bowing down to turn the the draw bar around etc.
If that toplink came unattached from its 'holder ' accidentally it would drop on your head bowed below, they are not light .
Ie. Check toplink " holder or leave it dropped down if it's not in the way, or even better not on the tractor if it's not used much.
One nearly caught me once when it dropped freefall unexpectedly.

 

[Goweresque]

If it's the same stats as I read today - 77% of fatalities involve the over 60s and a significant majority also involve livestock.

Thats my hobby horse - if anyone over the statutory pension age was forbidden to work on farms in anything other than a management /paperwork role then farming's death rate would drop drastically.

Or, to look at it another way, any people who are working after the statutory pension age should not be considered to be working but involved in voluntary leisure activity and thus not a death in the workplace. After all if a 70 year old falls off a horse and dies, thats a leisure activity, it was their choice to indulge in a known dangerous hobby. The equine industry is not targeted by HSE because of such deaths, its considered its the personal choice of the individual to take risks if they want. So as far as I can see anyone continuing to 'work' when you don't need to isn't actually working at all, you are indulging in a leisure activity instead. As many people have said - elderly farmers don't continue because they have to, they continue because they want to, they enjoy it. So by my way of thinking they're not working any more, just practising a risky hobby, and as such shouldn't fall under deaths in the workplace.

 

[Henarar]

Thats my hobby horse - if anyone over the statutory pension age was forbidden to work on farms in anything other than a management /paperwork role then farming's death rate would drop drastically.

Or, to look at it another way, any people who are working after the statutory pension age should not be considered to be working but involved in voluntary leisure activity and thus not a death in the workplace. After all if a 70 year old falls off a horse and dies, thats a leisure activity, it was their choice to indulge in a known dangerous hobby. The equine industry is not targeted by HSE because of such deaths, its considered its the personal choice of the individual to take risks if they want. So as far as I can see anyone continuing to 'work' when you don't need to isn't actually working at all, you are indulging in a leisure activity instead. As many people have said - elderly farmers don't continue because they have to, they continue because they want to, they enjoy it. So by my way of thinking they're not working any more, just practising a risky hobby, and as such shouldn't fall under deaths in the workplace.

Some do it cos they need the money, so how do you work out who needs to work and who don't ?

 

[BrianV]

Not sure if it's been mentioned but it would improve safety no end if calves could be left for a couple of months before being registered as long as they didn't leave the farm, son recently nearly lost his life to an angry suckler cow whilst trying to tag it's calf.

 

[Bury the Trash]

Seriously though, on the job, don' t be distracted , by a phone or by anything else other than the 100% focus and awareness required on what you're doing , whether you're young,old or an inbetweener .


and hopefully @Clive will make this thread stick at the top of 'Agricultural Matters.'

Edit.
I forgot, a timely one to be very aware of is that particularly hard long time dry grass ground with a light shower on it is like ice at the moment.

 

[Goweresque]

Some do it cos they need the money, so how do you work out who needs to work and who don't ?

I would guess that most elderly farmers are owner occupiers, not tenants. Thus they could sell up and retire if they wanted to. They do not 'have' to work. Anyone over the age of retirement qualifies for a pension, and pension benefits as well, so idea that elderly farmers are struggling on merely to put bread on the table has got to be a fantasy. They have alternatives, they just choose not to take them.

 

[Barleymow]

Keep a watch out for the top link held on its hook or hanger when not hitched to an implement , potentially right above your head when bowing down to turn the the draw bar around etc.
If that toplink came unattached from its 'holder ' accidentally it would drop on your head bowed below, they are not light .
Ie. Check toplink " holder or leave it dropped down if it's not in the way, or even better not on the tractor if it's not used much.
One nearly caught me once when it dropped freefall unexpectedly.

Always take toplink off

 

[Chris W]

A few things regarding machinery design:

Make it possible to grease PTO shafts without having to soend half an hour raving the guard off with special tools. Fitting the nipple facing out on the tractor end would be start.

Jacking points on axles should be clearly defined and marked. Often they are non existent. I’d go as far as to say that self propelled sprayers etc ought to be supplied with fit for purpose jacking and blocking equipment for wheel changes, instead of leaving the farmer to improvise with dodgy old jacks and blocks of wood.

All implements should be supplied with either suitable legs or a stand to allow safe parking, hitching and unhitching. Neither my Bomford hedge cutter or Amazone spreader have any stands or legs at all meaning I must sit them on pallets which only increases the likelihood of then crushing me during hitching or unhitching.
All of the above are cost cutting by manufacturers but farmers.
Further more, it’s my view that fert spreaders should be provided with a storable long handled knife to cut bags from a safe distance. Such a tool and stowage is part of a safely designed system and lessen the likelihood of the operator reaching under with a pocket knife.
Seed drills should have similar bag handling equipment and also stowage on the machine chassis for PPE.
I could go on, but I’ll leave it at that.

All great suggestions, how many have you chosen to retrofit ? I would assume minimal?

Sprayer jacks are available on the market, some manufacturers offer them on the options list. A farmer/operator clearly knows that making do with blocks of wood and normal bottle jacks carries risks and anyone that is doing is it chosing to do so to cut costs.
The safest option is to run one set of wheels year round, the only reason not to .. ££

I can almost guarantee that the hedge cutter and fert spreader had a stand/legs available on the options list. But some chose not the pay for them..

Most local Ag Engineers would happily modify the greasing element of a PTO shaft as you describe, clearly the grease nipples on the outside are more prone to damage.

My main point ... I dont think you can throw the blame at manufacturer ... if everyone buying these machines selected the options that are available they would be fit as standard ..

If an option is not available but is something you feel should be, ask for it and be willing to pay for it and most manufacturers will accommodate the request and if not, usually the dealer will.

 

[Ivorbiggun]

Put a employee in charge of the health and safety, not the boss who will only be thinking about the money side of it.

 

[gatepost]

Its not a question of money per se, but money brings corporatism, and corporatism brings H&S. Its noticeable that the vast majority of farm fatalities are owner occupier/workers or family members, not paid third party employees. Most other dangerous industries do not have the owner being the manager and the worker. They have shareholders, paid management and paid employees. Farming can't afford that and is not profitable enough to attract the large corporations to buy up farm land and take over, which they would do if there was more money in it. Farming survives as a peasant activity, and as such has the peasant attitude to H&S - it'll be alright, I've done it like that for years.

The other thing as I keep banging on about is to enforce a strict retirement age for farming of 60. If you are caught working on a farm after that age you would be committing a criminal offence and would be prosecuted. You could own the farm, and/or be a business partner, but not be involved in the day to day management or working thereof. That would cut more than half the farming deaths in an instant. It would also mean that farming lost the awful mantra 'One day son this will all be yours' that elderly tyrants hold over their sons (and daughters). If they HAD to retire at 60 the next generation would get a chance. Or there would be lots more farms available to rent for younger entrants. Either way it would be a Good Thing. And I speak as someone aged 50..........

Yes, but I am 60 ? and I had to wait until I was 54 to finally have the place to myself. Sorry but I don't stay up all night trying to catch up because I have taken on more than I can cope/afford, on some daft ego trip, I don't spend all day wittering away on my screen when I should be concentrating on the road, but I think your point is well made, in that there are a lot of folk who, bless them are well past their best and have become a liability, I had to ban the last generation from the TB test, as I explained. ''I don't need to look after you and me while prodding cattle through a race. But they had a nice tea time slot to themselves over seeing the lambing ewes, they hadn't lost their experience.

 

[manhill]

If it's the same stats as I read today - 77% of fatalities involve the over 60s and a significant majority also involve livestock.

you'd think 77% are over 60 if you listen to the media!

 

[Humble Village Farmer]

Do you know what the biggest cause of poor farm safety is? Lack of people.

Everything is cut to the bone so that the supermarkets can make more money out of us. The mantra of be more efficient, labour saving etc means fewer people resulting in more and more lone working and more accidents.

Apologies if this point has already been made.