During this #FarmSafetyWeek, farmers are being asked to make a pledge to embrace safety training, by signing up to a newly launched e-learning course.
The course has been developed by the NFU and the land-based training organisation Lantra, in accordance with advice from the government’s Health and Safety Executive (HSE) agency.
NFU vice president David Exwood said that on-farm safety needs to be a top priority for everyone in a farm business; pledging to upskill all worker’s safety training will go a long way to improve the safety on farms, as it is a ‘simple and cost-effective way’ to better manage risks.
“As an industry we are constantly learning, from each other and through innovation, and we need to ensure this mentality is applied to health and safety,” said Mr Exwood.
He continued: “By investing in ourselves and our learning, we are actually investing in our farm businesses as we are our most valuable asset, so safety has to be a top priority.”
The e-learning course offers reminders about risks such as working at heights or with cattle, as well as practical advice – like remembering to engage the brake on a farm vehicle and wearing a helmet on an ATV.
And, NFU members can sign up to the farm safety course with a 10% discount on NFU online.
“We are about to embark on the busiest time of year in farming – harvest – and we must remember farm safety best practice. On my farm, we have just started combining and I will be ensuring that all workers take sufficient rest breaks and wear high visibility clothing,” noted Mr Exwood.
He concluded: “On the 10th annual #FarmSafetyWeek let’s work together to encourage each other to improve agriculture’s safety performance and ensure that no more unnecessary accidents take place.”