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June 19, 2014

Sheriff rules that there were no procedures in place to prevent well-known farmer’s death

A sheriff has recorded a formal verdict following a fatal accident inquiry into the death of a well-known farmer, who died when he fell 16ft (4.8m) from the top of a silage pile at his farm near Moffat, South Scotland in January 2013.

William Davidson, 62, was well-respected in the farming community having rebuilt his cattle and sheep stock after it was wiped out by foot-and-mouth disease in 2001 and helping other farmers affected by the crisis. He was also a past director of the Royal Highland Show and past chairman of Dumfries and Lockerbie Agricultural Show.

Mr Davidson died when his feet apparently became entangled in plastic sheeting causing him to fall. He suffered a severe head injury.

Sheriff Daniel Kelly said there was no procedure in place to avoid the accident, adding that leaving some of the silage uncovered may have broken the farmer’s fall. He said: “The simplest precaution would be a practice whereby the sheets were pulled back while there remained at least 6ft of silage uncovered.

“If that were implemented, even if a person were to fall over, there would be 6ft of silage left to fall upon, much reducing and hopefully eliminating the risk of falling over the edge.”

Health and Safety Executive inspector Lesley Hammond, in evidence, agreed that the method adopted in pulling back the sheets was common practice in the industry and provided a number of suggestions as to how the sheets could be removed from the top of the silage in a safer manner.

However Sheriff Kelly felt that some suggestions posed further hazards, including trip hazards from ropes or the possibility of a hook or crooks tearing the sheets posing further risk of tripping.

He said: “Neither could therefore be advanced as reasonable precautions whereby the death might have been avoided without further testing as to their efficacy.”

He did add that a reasonable precaution whereby the death might have been avoided would have been that of keeping a safe distance from the edge of the silage pile.

 

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