Farmers 'must maintain good health and safety practice'

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is warning farmers they must ensure health and safety is managed on their sites to minimise the risk of injury to children and other visitors.

According to Andy Gay, falls from height, fires and being struck by moving vehicles have led to three children a year being killed on farms over the last ten years.

Mr Gay feels these accidents are completely avoidable and urged farmers to implement a health and safety management system to ensure the risk of death or serious injury is reduced as much as possible.

"Agriculture has one of the highest fatal accident rates of any industry in the UK … these accidents can be easily be avoided by following a few sensible safety rules," he said.

Steps to manage health and safety include supervising young people, the safe and correct storage of chemicals and keeping children away from livestock, according to the HSE.

In other news, a 35-year-old farm worker from Powys survived a tractor accident after being pitched out of the vehicle before it rolled 900 metres down a steep embankment, it has been reported.