HSE campaign to prevent deaths targets farming industry

A new campaign to prevent deaths on farms has been launched.

"Make the promise. Come Home Safe” is a campaign from the HSE targeting farmers and their families.

The campaign asks farmers to make a simple promise - to come home safe – with the message that they owe it to their families and friends, to the land they farm, and to their communities, to come home safe.

In 2007-2008, there were 42 deaths on farms. Less than 1.5% of the working population is employed in agriculture yet the sector is responsible for between 15% and 20% of fatalities to workers each year.

Two-thirds (64%) of all deaths in farming are self-employed farmers. Within this group, older farmers are the most at risk, accounting for over half (53%) of the deaths to the self-employed.

During January 2009, HSE will be sending "Promise Packs" to around 70,000 British farmers. The pack contains all they need to make their promise to come home safe. It includes a "Promise Knot", a symbolic "knot" of farm baling twine, which can be used as a visual reminder of the pledge to come home safe, as well as a poster outlining detailed information.

Farmers can send in a form contained within the pack or call to request a new booklet, "How lives are lost on British farms", which summarises recent fatal accidents and is designed to help farmers avoid making the same mistakes.

Judith Donovan, non-executive HSE Board member and agriculture champion, says:

"The HSE is mounting this campaign because on average over 45 deaths, year after year, occur on British farms. We would like to highlight that this is a partnership to keep farmers safe, not HSE dictating the terms."

The three main causes of deaths to agriculture workers in the last ten years were: 

• transport - 24%;
• falls form height, especially roofs - 17%; and
• being struck by moving or falling objects - 15%.