Things that would improve farm safety ?

[Andrew]

Would be interesting to see some proper figures on profitability.

A quick trawl of the net shows 37 people killed on UK farms in 2018/19. In the same period 1 person was killed in Forestry and 1 in Deep Sea Fishing.

Very hard to find accurate figures but Google suggests return on capital employed is actually higher in Farming than Fishing.
Profit Margin per employee is higher in Ag than Forestry?

12,000 working in Fishing (1 death per 12,000)
36,000 working in Forestry (0.33 deaths per 12,000)
306,000 working in Ag (1.45 deaths per 12,000)

These figures make us look really bad although they are skewed. I can't find enough common data from each industry to use as a more reliable 'benchmark'.

Can anyone else find some more accurate figures?

 

[Sid]

Would money have prevented my squashed fingers today , a cheap angle grinder would do the job View attachment 954398

That looks like a grab handle for use when climbing in or out or the cab for H&S reasons.

By the looks of the photo you are sat in the gate buddy seat not the operators seat.

It's welded there as its easier and cheaper than notching it out and putting on the angle of the cab frame. Maybe it would also more difficult to grab when used correctly for its design purpose.

If you raise it with the manufacturer they will simply put a sticker on it saying.

"For entry/exit purposes only"

You have incorrectly used the safety item

 

[thesilentone]

Would be interesting to see some proper figures on profitability.

A quick trawl of the net shows 37 people killed on UK farms in 2018/19. In the same period 1 person was killed in Forestry and 1 in Deep Sea Fishing.

Very hard to find accurate figures but Google suggests return on capital employed is actually higher in Farming than Fishing.
Profit Margin per employee is higher in Ag than Forestry?

12,000 working in Fishing (1 death per 12,000)
36,000 working in Forestry (0.33 deaths per 12,000)
306,000 working in Ag (1.45 deaths per 12,000)

These figures make us look really bad although they are skewed. I can't find enough common data from each industry to use as a more reliable 'benchmark'.

Can anyone else find some more accurate figures?

"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."

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

 

[DrWazzock]

How many people died from booze, fags, loose women and fast cars and bikes?
Every death is a personal tragedy buf I firmly believe we are down to levels that cannot be reduced without wrapping everyone in bubble wrap and telling them to stay in bed,
Living is a risk. Be careful, watch out. But I can’t see much mileage to had in obsessing or legislating much further.

 

[jonnieboy]

How many people died from booze, fags, loose women and fast cars and bikes?
Every death is a personal tragedy buf I firmly believe we are down to levels that cannot be reduced without wrapping everyone in bubble wrap and telling them to stay in bed,
Living is a risk. Be careful, watch out. But I can’t see much mileage to had in obsessing or legislating much further.

Personal choice versus employee liability
Big difference
Mindset must change in Ag

 

[DrWazzock]

Nobody had to work for any particular employer. If you don’t like the job, leave it.

 

[tr250]

Half the problem is in my opinion that anyone can be a farmer as long as you have plenty of m

How many people died from booze, fags, loose women and fast cars and bikes?
Every death is a personal tragedy buf I firmly believe we are down to levels that cannot be reduced without wrapping everyone in bubble wrap and telling them to stay in bed,
Living is a risk. Be careful, watch out. But I can’t see much mileage to had in obsessing or legislating much further.

i wonder what comes into the figures ie hobby farms, people that rent a cottage on a farm cleaning the gutters, playing with vintage tractors etc. agriculture is seen as a hobby by so many which can’t help much

 

[JeepJeep]

From experience but not always the case it's often the ones with the most profitable ventures that cut the most corners regarding safety.

 

[DrWazzock]

It always ends up as a stick to beat the employer. Well what’s to stop an employee taking the initiative and saying that PTO guard isn’t right, I’ll fix it. Safety is everybody’s responsibility in my view. Employees need not be passive victims but should call out issues and get them sorted or walk off the site.

 

[B'o'B]

How many people died from booze, fags, loose women and fast cars and bikes?
Every death is a personal tragedy buf I firmly believe we are down to levels that cannot be reduced without wrapping everyone in bubble wrap and telling them to stay in bed,
Living is a risk. Be careful, watch out. But I can’t see much mileage to had in obsessing or legislating much further.

I think you're wrong, we can all do things differently. It doesn't need legislation, it doesn't need loads of money, a better attitude to risk and reward would go a long way. We are in the main as an industry are rubbish at calculating risk verses reward in all area. The people we all supply slowly re-write our contracts to push risk on to us with no extra reward (and often less into the bargain), but enough of us still sign them to for the buyer to get what they want and we shoulder the risk for them. It seems endemic in the whole industry.
Because we don't seem to understand risk we are ending up shouldering greater risks. Not only financial risk, but also personal with our own health, our own limbs and get nothing back as recompense.

We do need to change, but in practical and sensible ways.

 

[DrWazzock]

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?

 

[B'o'B]

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?

I did say it doesn’t need more legislation. Better attitudes would help in many of farm accidents, but I do concede not in the example in your post.

 

[betweenthelines]

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?

It's not about punishing those responsible. It's about stopping the accidents in the first place.

You could scrap all speed limits and prosecute people driving "too fast" for dangerous driving, but having more "rules" (speed limits) saves lives

 

[7610 super q]

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.

 

[Derrick Hughes]

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.

They should make more use of hydrolic drive

 

[Andrew]

Problem with PTO guards is they’re one of the few items under the Machinery Directive that needs testifying by a notifiable body. This means they cost a lot more to develop and meet stringent requirements, like cabs. Far easier for manufacturers to buy them in from the likes of Comer, Walterscheid etc.
Why would any of those manufacturers make a stronger guard that would cost them repeat sales in the long term.

 

[Andrew]

They should make more use of hydrolic drive

Not much power from hydraulics in comparison and plenty of hoses to leak, heat to dissipate.
I think electric drive may become more common in future though.

 

[Derrick Hughes]

Not much power from hydraulics in comparison and plenty of hoses to leak, heat to dissipate.
I think electric drive may become more common in future though.

Straw Choppers Cement mixers tedders things like that don't need much power and those are machines that are constantly being messed with

 

[7610 super q]

Same with bulk seed and fert bags.
If HSE had turned up on a farm in the late 1970's and found the farmer had emptied all his 1cwt sacks into a large canvass bag, looped it on a forklift tine, then suspended it over the implement.............
But because it's been adopted by big business, it's fine. Laughably the emphasis is now on farmers to spend £1200 on a bag lifting device, ensure loops aren't frayed, and make some sort of contraption welding a blade on a long pole to safely cut the bags open......
HSE surrounding agriculture stinks.

 

[B'o'B]

I find the problem with PTO guards isn’t normally the guard itself. It’s trailed implements combined with lower link arms and you can’t seem to set the link arms to a height that doesn’t fowl either the drawbar or PTO when turning sharp.
I don’t tend to have much trouble with mounted equipment PTO guards except for a topper that if you lift it too high the PTO gets pushed onto the front of the topper and then the guard gets pushed against the rotating shaft which knackered it.