DAY 1 – Falls from heights

Today (Monday 4 July) marks the start of the fourth annual Farm Safety Week, which aims to reduce the number of accidents that continue to give agriculture the poorest record of any occupation in the UK and Ireland.

NFU Scotland is voicing its support for this year’s Farm Safety Week which is being supported by a number of organisations including the Farm Safety Foundation, Farm Safety Partnerships, the Health & Safety Executive, Health & Safety Executive for Northern Ireland and the Health & Safety Authority, Ireland.

The awareness week, taking place from 4 to 8 July, encourages farmers and those within the industry to make their safety and the safety of those around them a priority.

Over the course of this week, the Union will detail personal stories from well-known farmers from across Scotland who have had an accident on their farm, the impact it had on them and how their practices changed as a result. Each of the main causes of death or injury on farm will be featured – falls, livestock, machinery and transport - rounding off the week with a special message on child safety. The overall theme is ‘Who Will Fill Your Boots?’.

Last year, 33 fatal injuries to agricultural workers were recorded – a rate of 9.12 deaths per 100,000 workers, which is significantly higher than any other industry.

CASE STUDY: IAN ARGO, LAURENCEKIRK

Even the most safety conscious farmers can experience the effects of a serious injury as we learn from Ian Argo, an arable farmer at Auchcairnie Farm, Laurencekirk. A dislocated knee cap and severed tendons were the unexpected consequence of coming out of a tractor the wrong way and falling.

Like many farm accidents, it was a routine task that Ian had done many times. For years he had been climbing out of the tractor ‘the wrong way’, effectively front facing. However, on 12 September 2013, for a reason unknown to him, he fell.

The 63-year-old found himself lying on the ground after getting out to fill up the tractor with diesel at the end of the working day whilst working for a neighbour. Ian, who farms in partnership with his son Steven, wife Alison and mother Edith, commented: “I got out of the tractor, effectively the wrong way [front facing] and the next thing I know I was lying on the ground. I’m not sure whether I slipped or tripped, it happened so fast and I can just remember lying on the ground.

“At the time I was working alone and I tried to get up but couldn’t get my left leg to work. There was no blood and I wasn’t feeling any pain at that point, but I could see that my knee cap had moved significantly up my leg.

“I then tried to phone someone, however I soon realised that my phone was in the tractor cab and there was no way I could reach it.

“The diesel tank was around 50 yards from the house, and I could hear voices coming from there, so shouted. Thankfully there was someone nearby that could hear me otherwise I would have been in bigger trouble.

“At that point they phoned an ambulance and took me to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary. It was clear the knee cap and tendons had parted company.

“I ended being in hospital for around four days before I had an operation.  Overall I spent just over a week in hospital and following that I had my leg in a brace frame for three months, attending hospital every couple of weeks to have it adjusted.

“It took me until the end of January to start driving again, and I had to change my car to an automatic to make it easier.

“I was off work for six months, but managed to get back in time for the spring work starting. We had to get someone into help my son Steven with the potato lifting, but thankfully they weren’t required over the winter months. I’d underwent a few months of physiotherapy which has helped in the range of movement I now have in my leg.”

The accident has made Ian more aware of coming out of tractors the correct way, and he says that he hopes it has been a learning curve for his son of how accidents can happen so easily.  

Ian added: “I want to highlight the impact an accident like this can have on your family and your business. We’re much more conscious of safety all the while on the farm now and it’s made me slow down and think about every process.”

This case reinforces that fact that farm workers of any age run the risk of injury or death from falls. Falls constitute one of the most common farm accidents, accounting for 23 fatal accidents in the last five years.

“Taking preventative, proactive measures are one of the best things we can do for our farms and workers. Most preventative practices are common sense,” says the Farm Safety Foundation’s Stephanie Berkeley. “Tragically, most accidents are caused by simple factors. This week, we hope that by hearing from other farmers about their experiences, we can ask farmers to really think about ‘Who Would Fill Your Boots?’ if something were to happen to them at work, shed some light on the necessity of farm safety and highlight practical ways to make it happen on the farm.”

Commenting on day one of the campaign, Cabinet Secretary for the Rural Economy Fergus Ewing MSP said: “Farm Safety Week is a great initiative to help raise awareness of safety issues on Scotland’s farms. More than 70 per cent of work-related deaths on Scotland’s farms come as a result of four main causes: falls from height, transport, equipment and cattle handling.

“I hope that people up and down the country will join the NFUS in supporting Farm Safety Week, which is taking steps to tackle the high number of accidents and fatalities in the agriculture industry – which is the highest in any working environment across these islands.”

Top safety tips if you have to work at height:

• Never walk on fragile materials, e.g. roof lights or glass
• Use proprietary access equipment or other measures when working at height
• Take account of environmental conditions, e.g. wind and rain
• Make sure everyone knows the precautions to be followed
• Roof ladders or crawling boards must span at least three purlins
• Roof ladders must be securely placed. Do not rely on gutters, ridge caps or tiles for support.                             

Notes to Editors

• For a photograph of Ian Argo contact: Ruth McClean on ruth.mcclean@nfus.org.uk.
• Farm Safety Week, which takes place from 4 to 8 July this year, was first launched in 2013 and aims to cut the toll of accidents which give agriculture the poorest record of any occupation in the UK and Ireland. Farm Safety Week is supported the Farm Safety Foundation, Farm Safety Partnerships, the Health and Safety Executive, Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland and the Health and Safety Authority, Ireland.
• If using social media to promote Farm Safety Week please use the hashtag #FarmSafetyWeek

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Contact Ruth McClean on 0131 472 4108