Farming has highest fatality rate as NFU warns of extra hazards while winter cold snap continues

The recently-published Health and safety at work report, shows that agriculture, forestry and fishing has a fatal injury rate of 8.61 per 100,00 workers compared to the average across all industries of 0.41 per 100,000.

This means that farming has a fatal injury rate roughly 21 times higher than the average across Great Britain.

The report collected statistics between March 2021-2022 and suggests that 29 per cent of the 22 recorded fatalities were as a result of being struck by a moving vehicle. A further 17 per cent were from fatal animal injuries and 14 per cent from falls from a height.

When it comes to injuries, the report shows that farmers are almost four times more likely to be harmed at work than any other industry worker. More than 4,000 farm staff per 100,000 reported an injury between March 2021-2022, compared to the average across all other industries of just over 1,000 per 100,000 workers during that time.

These worrying figures that show little sign of reducing according to CLA Vice President Gavin Lane, who chairs the Farm Safety Partnership.

He said: "Another year, and another devastating set of statistics for health and safety. Unless we move forward, it will be the same story, with shattering consequences for farming families and communities across the UK.

“We can never accept that this is a risk that comes with the job. Our industry must work together to educate and embed new practices to make farming safer. The Farm Safety Partnership is committed to working across the sector to deliver vital health and safety information, and training, so farmers are as safe at work as anyone else.”

Working closely with the Farm Safety Partnership, the CLA is continuing to work hard to reduce the number of farming injuries and fatalities, with a series of schemes such as low cost training helping farmers to stay safe at work.

It comes as rural insurers, NFU Mutual, urged farmers to take extra care while working in snow, ice and low temperatures as the cold snap continued this week.

Many farmers had helped out clearing rural and village roads of snow and ice and it was reported that on Monday, it had been the busiest day of the year for motor insurance claims.

NFU Mutual Rural Affairs Specialist Hannah Binns said: “With last weekend’s icy, snowy and freezing fog conditions forecast to continue this week, we are urging farmers to take extreme care while working in wintery hazards.

“Parts of the UK saw heavy snow and falling temperatures which, coupled with treacherous conditions on rural roads, caused additional challenges and pressures for farm businesses and their day-to-day operations.

“Yet many farmers helped their local villages and towns cut off by snow by using their tractors to snow plough roads – and as part of our support for the countryside, NFU Mutual is pleased to provide cover free of charge for them to provide this as a temporary community service.

“Looking ahead, the Met Office has issued a number of yellow weather warnings for many areas in the UK and is expecting overnight temperatures to drop to -10 degrees Celsius or lower in isolated spots.

“Safety for farmers, family members and workers is paramount and while fully understanding the pressures farmers are under, it is vital they avoid taking risks which could lead to injury or fatalities.”