Farm Safety Week 2021
HSE releases annual agriculture fatalities report at the start of the annual Farm Safety Week.The Health and Safety Executive has published a report detailing that agriculture has the highest number of workplace fatalities in Great Britain, making it the worst performing industrial sector.
Provisional figures, from 1 April 2020 until 31 March 2021, show 41 people were killed in agriculture related activities, almost double the final number of deaths in the previous year, which was 23.
The report, Fatal injuries in agriculture, forestry and fishing in Great Britain 2020/21, has been published to coincide with the start of Farm Safety Week (19 – 23 July) led by the Farm Safety Foundation charity.
The report shows that agriculture continues to have the worst rate of fatal injuries of all the major industrial sectors, around 20 times higher than the average five-year annual rate across all industries.
While the number of people killed fluctuates each year, the five most common causes of fatal injuries over the last five years remain - being struck by moving vehicles, killed by an animal, struck by an object, falling from height and contact with moving machinery.
Transport-related incidents, such as overturning vehicles or being struck by moving vehicles were responsible for more deaths than any other cause.
Agriculture will continue to be a priority sector for HSE, our sector plan for health and safety in agriculture is available here.
Resources
Guidance is also available for those working in agriculture to assess the risks and put safety measures in place: