Farmers and growers across the country are continuing their work to reduce the number of accidents on farm, and for the next few months will be focusing on how they can complete work at height safely.
From October to December, the Farm Safety Partnership (FSP) will be sharing guidance on how best to approach any work that needs doing at a height following these key messages:
- Avoid roof work or work at height maintaining buildings. Do as much as you can from the ground.
- Use a professional contractor with the knowledge, skills, equipment and experience to safely work at height on buildings. Avoid doing the work yourself.
- Where maintenance work at height cannot be avoided, plan ahead to make sure you have the right equipment and training.
- Don’t be tempted to use the wrong equipment.
As part of this work, the NFU has released a new guide offering practical advice to prevent accidents when it comes to working at height.
NFU Vice President and FSP chairman Stuart Roberts said: “During the last few months of the year many farmers look to do general maintenance around the farm. While we farmers like to consider ourselves a jack of all trades, we need to start asking ourselves, what if the shoe was on the other foot? Would we let a builder grow our crops or care for our livestock?
“Even if we’ve always done something a certain way, we need to take the time to consider the safest course of action. Whether it’s finding a way to do the job from the ground, investing in training staff or hiring a professional contractor, all it takes is a bit of planning to make sure we have the right people, the right training and the right equipment for the job at hand.
“A safe workplace is not only crucial for our welfare and the welfare of our employees, but for the sustainability of our businesses too.”