Farmers urged to maintain machinery

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is warning farmers they must make sure heavy machinery such as tractors, trailers and mobile equipment is properly maintained to ensure the health and safety of employees is protected as much as possible.

As part of its drive to improve safety in the agricultural industry the HSE is joining forces with the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency and Kent police to carry out random inspections of vehicles used on farms in the area to ensure they are in suitable working order.

Throughout the initiative, the HSE will be promoting the use of the British Agricultural and Garden Machinery Association vehicle health check scheme to farmers and Mike Walters, an inspector from the organisation, believes it could save lives in the future.

"A basic check can contribute to preventing deaths and suffering of those injured by agricultural vehicles every year. I urge all farmers to make sure their tractors, trailers and other mobile equipment are safe to use," he said.

The HSE claims the rate of fatal injury to workers in 2006/07 in the agriculture industry stands at 8.1 deaths per hundred thousand workers.