Safe Ag Systems is proud to partake in Farm Safety Week 2024. Running from the 22nd-26th July 2024, the Farm Safety Foundation (Yellow Wellies) initiative is now heading into double digits in the UK and Ireland.
Agriculture, forestry and fishing lost 23 lives in 2023/2024. Second to construction with 51. However, looking at the fatal injury rate per 100,000 workers, agriculture comes out the worst with 7.51. Remaining markedly high compared to other industry averages. (Work-related fatal injuries in Great Britain, 2024)
“This year’s Farm Safety Week offers an opportunity for a real reset of the way we approach farm safety and risk-taking. We cannot continue to tolerate poor safety behaviours, we cannot assume that its somebody else’s job to drive this change in culture, and we cannot rely on luck when going about our daily tasks,” - Stephanie Berkeley, Manager of the Farm Safety Foundation (Yellow Wellies).
Use this Farm Safety Week to rethink the risks on your farm and what you and your team might be exposed to. Identify where changes can be made to reduce the risk of accident, illness or injury on farm.
Join the conversation on social media! Like, share, comment and follow along at #farmsafetyweek
The importance of Risk Assessments in farm safety
In farming we know there are a lot of risks every day due to various tasks including working with chemicals, handling livestock, confined spaces, access to machinery and equipment, the environment, heights and so much more. Making your farm a safer workplace can require a proactive approach and risk assessments could be the perfect tool in your kit to help get the job done.
Discover the importance of Risk Assessments on your farm.
4 Steps to a Risk Management Process in Agriculture to keep S.A.F.E
The purpose of a risk management framework is to eliminate or reduce risk. The risk management process to achieve this is very simple – keep S.A.F.E.
S = see it. Identify the hazards and things that could hurt someone.
A = assess it. Think about what harm could come from the hazard, and how serious it might be.
F = fix it. Put ‘risk controls’ in place to eliminate or reduce the risk.
E = evaluate it. Did the risk controls work as you thought? This gives you a chance to tweak things to improve farm safety. Keep tweaking until you’re happy you’ve got things as good as possible.
Learn how else a Risk Management Process can help you on farm.
Looking after lone workers with technology in the UK
Lone workers constitute a significant portion of the agricultural workforce in the UK. Were you aware that there is requirement for live tracking of them? Although it may be beneficial for certain situations, your responsibility as an employer is to ensure the well-being and safety of lone workers, just like you would for all workers, considering the potential hazards of working independently.
Learn what you could be doing now to keep lone workers safe.
How is software improving machinery maintenance in the UK?
When it comes to digitalizing farm records, a great starting point is your farm vehicles and machinery. It's crucial to keep your new machinery well-maintained to protect your investment. Daily inspections of agricultural machinery are important for various reasons, not only for the safety of your workers but also as part of your responsibility as an employer. UK farmers are obligated to ensure that their machinery is in safe operating conditions.
Read more about how to prolong the life of your assets and capture machinery hours.
Does Inattention Impact Safety on your farm?
It’s a lack of thinking about the risk that causes problems. Because we’ve done a particular thing so many times, we no longer make active decisions about it as it’s just doing the same thing we’ve always done. We feel safe. We have a low sense of danger.
We try to ensure we have safe systems of work and good management systems. But incidents still happen. And inattention will be a significant contributor to pretty much all of them. The trick is finding ways to get out of autopilot when doing the dangerous stuff.
Learn how you can battle inattention on your farm.
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