The state of health and safety in farming
Our expert on Rural Asset Management across the South East, Alastair Paul, gives his take on health and safety standards in the farming industry.
2 minutes to read
It was very worrying to see farming overtake construction as the UK’s most dangerous industry (based on figures in 2017 from the Health and Safety Executive).
However, when you think about how many farms are run (with poorly maintained equipment, working at height, an aging workforce, often little training, lone working in isolated locations and so on) it isn’t really much of a surprise.
When I read about so many of the accidents that have terrible effects on families and tight knit communities, I see a common theme: that they could have been easily prevented.
There is a raft of health and safety legislation which affects farming like all other industries, but the mind-set, custom and practice on so many farms is really that of a generation ago. The industry is facing a choice – gets its own ducks in a row or wake up to find the government is doing it.
Thankfully, change is starting to happen. The Farm Safety Partnership (which represents 38 organisations across the industry) is launching a significant safety campaign. Others have tried with various different initiatives but with limited success, and I am hopeful that a broader approach might work.
I feel personally very strongly about this issue, as during years of harvest jobs I found myself in some very dangerous situations which could have gone either way.
I was too young to say no and looking back I can’t believe I risked my life (for instance climbing up the outside of grain bins on vertical ladders with nothing to stop a fall onto a concrete floor) on such a regular basis.
Knight Frank take this subject extremely seriously and we are delighted to hold an OHSAS 18001 H&S accreditation for the management of farms and estates. Not content with this, we have now developed our own bespoke H&S management software to suit our client’s needs.
Our approach to the subject is industry leading and our clients are delighted that this significant concern is well taken care of.
How can we help? Knight Frank's Rural Asset Management team is on hand to advise on a wide range of private and institutional clients on the hugely diverse assets that they own.