On the final day of this year’s Farm Safety Week, we have highlighted the many challenges to farming safely, the learnings we can take from a near-miss and the far-reaching consequences of having a serious injury on the farm.
We know that no workplace can be 100 per cent safe. We can not eliminate risk but we can minimise it so what’s next? What more can, and should, we be doing to address the challenges, adopt the learnings and start to drive an improvement in our poor safety record?
Action! That’s what we can do. We can take action.
At an agricultural show earlier in the year, we were approached by a farmer who had read our ‘Little Book of Minding Your Head’. His feedback was “I liked that little book. It made sense and made me see how I can help myself and others but what about farm safety? Do you have a little book about that?”
This started us thinking… and researching… and writing. If we can offer an easy-to-read and useful guide to mental health, why can’t we do the same for farm safety?
So here it is… The Little Book of Farm Safety.
Of course we couldn’t have put this together without the help of some friends so thanks go to Wayne Owen – HSE, Jane Gurney – Tilly Your Trailer and Joanne Horton – RMS for your time, careful eye and constructive criticism.
We know people in this industry are not fans of the phrase “Farmers must…” and we have tried not to use it but the book will remind you of important legal obligations so you can go about your daily tasks safely.
Ultimately, it’s your health, your safety and your choice whether you take this guidance and apply it to your own farm.
We hope you will.
To download your copy CLICK HERE or to request hard copies of the book please contact us at farm_safety_foundation@nfumutual.co.uk
