HSE launches campaign to tackle most dangerous sector

Health and safety regulator the HSE is launching a campaign to reduce the loss of life from vehicle-related injuries in farming – the number one cause of deaths in the sector, which it says sees more deaths than any other.

As part of its campaign the HSE is launching a website with advice and information, and is promoting three key behaviours: operating a safe farm;maintaining a safe vehicle; and being a safe driver.

Sue Thompson, HSE’s head of agriculture policy, said: “Agriculture consistently has the highest number of fatal and serious injuries of all industry sectors in Great Britain. Over the past five years, the average fatal incident rate is twenty-one times higher in agriculture than the average across all other industries. That is a shocking statistic.

“It’s time for us to make a change together to make our farms safer, and that’s why we’re asking farmers to consider three areas of their daily farming activities and take the right actions to prevent another farming tragedy.”