Fatal personal injury cases in agriculture have risen, figures show

Posted 08/07/2010

The number of fatal personal injury cases in the agricultural sector has increased again following a decrease last year.

According to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), there were 38 deaths in the farming industry between April 1st 2009 and March 31st 2010, a rate of 8.2 per 100,000 people.

This makes it the most dangerous sector for employees to work in and demonstrates a sharp rise from the 25 deaths recorded in 2008-09.

“It is time for British agriculture industry to wake up to the enormous toll of death and injury which occurs year on year,” HSE chair Judith Hackitt commented.

The body’s chair of agriculture Graeme Walker pointed out that with many of the deaths resulting from avoidable accidents, it is a trend that should not continue.

Last month, the HSE issued a warning about the misuse of telehandlers – machinery similar to cranes – after finding that many farm employees have been using them to drive in fence posts.

It said using equipment for work other than that for which it was originally intended could result in serious personal injury.

Simon Davis, an injury specialist at Ashtons Legal, comments: “These statistics accord with our own experience in that supervision on health and safety matters seems to have slipped. This may be a consequence of fewer people doing a wider range of jobs or more unskilled people drafted in to cover quite complex work.”