Farming UK's biggest killer industry

12-07-2010 | UK Farmers Guardian

Shocking new figures showing a big increase in the number of people killed on farms have led to the industry being branded the most dangerous way to make a living in the UK.

Thirty-eight agriculture workers were killed at work between April 1, 2009, and March 31, 2010, following the record low of 25 in 2008/09, Health and Safety Executive (HSE) figures show. Seven members of the public were also killed in work-related accidents in the sector.

The big concern for the HSE is that farming's deteriorating safety record comes at a time when almost all other sectors are improving theirs. The death toll across all UK sectors fell to a record low of 151 in the year to April, from 178 last year.

Farming accounts for more than one-quarter of all work-related deaths, even though it employs less than 2% of the national workforce. The industry rate of 8.2 fatal injuries per 100,000 workers makes it the most dangerous industry in which to work, HSE said.

The figures have prompted a renewed industry-led drive to improve farm safety. The NFU has agreed to spearhead the campaign.

The NFU's council agreed, following a presentation by HSE chairman Judith Hackitt, that the union should host a Farm Safety Summit in autumn and invite other industry leaders to participate in a coalition which "spreads a culture of safer working".

NFU president Peter Kendall described Hackitt's presentation as a "chilling and timely

reminder of the dangers of farming".

Hackitt told the NFU that,in addition to farming's death toll, there were more than 100,000 injuries each year, of which 20,000 were "serious debilitating injuries".

She said while other sectors, such as construction, had made ‘huge progress' in improving their safety records over the past decade, agriculture's was not getting any better.

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