Thanks to Murray’s assistance, the farmworker did not lose his arm, but it illustrated the importance of the ‘safe stop’ procedure, and the constant dangers of working with machinery.
Brown said: “I knew I was breaking every safety rule by not turning off the machine but, at 18 years of age, I was more concerned about getting my hair stuck in the baler than my arm!”
Forty years later
The campaign said Murray was retelling the story with Brown because the same accidents are still occurring, and claiming the lives and limbs of farm workers across the UK.
This year’s Farm Safety Week is its fifth annual campaign having originally launched in 2013 with the specific aim of reducing the number of accidents in farming, which has the poorest safety record of any occupation in the UK and Ireland.
A series of videos and other multimedia content will also be released to reinforce the message on Facebook and other social media channels.
This year’s Farm Safety Week is being supported by the Farm Safety Foundation, Farm Safety Partnerships, the Health & Safety Executive (HSE), Health & Safety Executive for Northern Ireland and the Health & Safety Authority, Ireland.
Farm related accidents
To mark the start of Farm Safety Week (24-28 July), the HSE has also announced its latest annual fatal injuries in agriculture report for Great Britain 2016/2017. The rate of worker deaths shows some sign of improving, an annual average of 29 worker deaths, compounded by 2 or 3 members of the public killed each year. But it is a record the industry must improve, the campaign warned.
Rick Brunt, head of agriculture, waste and recycling sectors at the HSE, said: “Agriculture is a critical part of our economy.”
“But every year we have to report that agriculture has the poorest safety record of any occupation in the UK. This is made even more tragic by the fact that the deaths and injuries are avoidable. The precautions to prevent people being killed and maimed on farms are well known and can be easily applied.
“The Help Great Britain Work Well strategy reaffirms our commitment to work with partners on initiatives like Farm Safety Week to inform their activities and to drive forward improvements in safety performance. We know that we need to engage with farmers of all ages to tackle this poor safety record and make farms safer places to work.”
Older farmer fatalities
Although more than half of fatal injuries occurred with older farmers, over the age of 65, the campaign was eager to point out that farm workers of any age run the risk of injury or death.
Stephanie Berkeley from the Farm Safety Foundation, the charity behind the campaign, said: “Farming as an industry is absolutely vital to the UK economy – it is the bedrock of our food and drink industry. On a farm, as with any business, the number one resource is the people so why is it that year on year we are seeing these hard working and dedicated workers suffering life changing and life ending accidents?”
“Many farmers think ‘farm safety last’ rather than ‘farm safety first’ but most of these accidents are avoidable. Unlike other occupations, farmers don’t normally retire at 65 and often work well into their 80s.
“Simple factors such as habit, haste, fatigue, and improperly maintained machinery contribute to this perfect storm but this Farm Safety Week, we hope that by hearing the stories of other farmers and extraordinary people like Al Murray who have had personal experience of farm accidents, we can get farmers of all ages to realise that this week, and every week, farm safety is a lifestyle, not a slogan.”
For more information on Farm Safety Week: Follow @yellowwelliesUK on Twitter or search the hashtag #FarmSafetyWeek
