The sector accounts for 15–20 per cent of all reported work-related deaths in Great Britain each year but accounts for only 1.4 per cent of the workforce.
The fatal injury incidence rate is the highest of the main industrial sectors including construction, and includes a high proportion of older workers and members of the public. Since 1994, 927 people have died in agricultural accidents including 427 employees, 402 self-employed farmers, and 98 members of the public.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State Lord Freud revealed the figures in a written answer to a parliamentary question. He said that “Although employment has been declining and there have been significant structural and technological changes in agriculture in recent years, the industry’s health and safety performance has been and continues to be poor.”
People have died in transport-related accidents, fallen to their deaths from a height, been killed by livestock and by machinery, been trapped by collapsing materials, drowned, and been asphyxiated. Since 1999, nine agricultural workers have been killed by overhead power lines.
According to a report by the Health and Safety Executive, 40 per cent of all deaths in farming, forestry, and horticulture in 2008–2009 were of people over the age of 55. Many were older self-employed farmers.
Examples given in the report include, a 48-year-old self-employed farmer who died because of lack of oxygen inside a grain silo. He had entered the grain silo on the farm and collapsed while attempting to clear grain.
A 62-year-old self-employed farmer died when he tripped and fell onto the spikes of a hay making machine, which penetrated his skull.
A 61-year-old self-employed contractor and farmer was found trapped inside a baler. He had been contracted to bale cut grass into round bale silage. There were no eye witnesses. Grass tends to build up on the panels and wheels of the baler. It is likely the farmer got out of the tractor, leaving the engine running and therefore the baler running, in order to clear away the build-up of grass from the front end of the baler. It is believed he was clearing the grass with his foot when the pick up caught his trouser leg and dragged him into the machine.
A 17-year-old member of the public died when he came into contact with a wire placed across a farm track in woodland. He was riding his trail motorcycle along a farm track when he collided with a wire strung between two trees.
The farming sector reported 640 major injuries among workers and the self-employed in 2008–2009 alone as well as 79 injuries to members of the public. The true number of injuries is uncertain.
“Given gross under-reporting, the figures for non-fatal injuries are less reliable and robust and should be treated with caution,” said Lord Freud. “Only about 25 per cent of accidents to employees and 5 per cent involving the self-employed are reported.”
