Remember the most important thing on the Farm is not the machinery - it is the people that run it - it can't run without you.
Farmers Weekly Farm Safety survey October 2021 - identified that more than 50% of farmers occasionally took risks when they knew they shouldn't and Farmers felt that a big contributing factor to farm accidents was rushing or fatigue.
It's important to look after yourself and colleagues
Remind each other to :-
- Take time to have breaks and stay hydrated. Encourage other to stop and have a brew together in a warm restroom.
- Eat well - and if busy - make sure you have plenty of nutritious snacks during the day - Food and nutrition can have a big factor on mood and well being.
- Stay warm - in cold weather - wear layers to stay warm and don't forget your extremities, hat, warm socks and boots and gloves.
- Stay in touch - work in pairs if you can but if lone working make arrangements to stay in touch during the day using Phone calls and messaging and meet up for breaks. Make sure someone knows where you are working.
- Don't rush in - If there is a problem - don't take risks and rush to fix it without stopping for a few minutes to plan and do a dynamic risk assessment. Isolate machinery and equipment and don't do something you are not trained to do.
- Be aware of fatigue - Don't try and do something on your own if too tired - stop and get help or take a break first.
This Winter - Top tips for working around the farm - from Farm Safety Partnership
