Farming remains Scotland’s deadliest occupation
A new study has revealed that farming remains the most dangerous occupation in Scotland.
An annual review conducted by the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) showed that between 2023 to 2024, a total of 27 farm workers had been killed across the United Kingdom, an increase from 21 from the previous year.
In all, there were 35 reported deaths across UK farms between 2023 to 2024.
Despite farm workers making up around 1% of the total workforce in the UK, this figure accounts for 20% of all UK related work-place deaths.
Of particular concern to farmers in the Far North, the investigation also reveals that around 40% of those killed were above the age of 65, with an additional 81 incidents leading to injury recorded across Scotland.
According to the Insurance company NFU Mutual, there were a total of 81 workplace accidents or incidents reported across Scottish farms, costing the company £5 million across the country.
As farming remains a major industry in the North of Scotland, workers have been reminded to remain vigilant. An earlier investigation carried out by the Farm Safety Foundation (Yellow Wellies), a charity dedicated to protecting the mental and physical wellbeing of agriculturalists, indicated that in September 2023, 88% of farmers located across the UK said that ‘complacency’ was a major factor leading to industry injury.
A further 82% referenced ‘poor attitude’ as another leading cause of injury.
In an attempt to tackle the poor safety standards, the annual Farm Safety Week, led by the Farm Safety Foundation will launch on July 22nd. It will look to encourage better behaviour and teach better techniques to farmers across the United Kingdom by working closely with farmers spread across the UK and Ireland.
Manager of the Farm Safety Foundation, Stephanie Berkeley said: “2024 marks the 10th anniversary of the Farm Safety Foundation and those ten years have passed quickly.
“While we are proud of what we have achieved, looking at HSENI and NFU Mutual’s figures, there is so much more to be done to address the risks and dangers farm workers face every day to put food on our plates.
“This year’s Farm Safety Week offers an opportunity for a real reset of the way we approach farm safety and risk-taking. We can not continue to tolerate poor safety behaviours and we can not rely on luck when going about our daily tasks.”
Thanks to the positive work done by the FSM, they have attracted around 26,000 young farmers to the industry since their inception in 2014.