VIGILANCE has been urged among farmers after new figures show three people were killed on farms in the North West in just 12 months.

Figures from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) have revealed that in 2016/17, agriculture had the highest rate of fatal injury, around 18 times higher than the All Industry rate.

The main causes of death were ‘struck by vehicles’ (30 per cent), ‘trapped by something collapsing’ (20 per cent), ‘struck by an object’ (17 per cent), ‘contact with electricity’ (10 per cent), ‘falling from a height’ (7 per cent), and ‘injured by an animal’ (seven per cent).

In the North West, there have been three deaths in the past year.

Commenting on the figures, Chris James of Kendal NFU Mutual said: "Unfortunately farming has a poor safety record when compared to other sectors of the economy.

"Together with our partners in the Farm Safety Partnership we are working on raising awareness and reducing the risk of harm faced by those in our industry.

"During the summer there was a lot of press and social media activity from Farm Safety Week which went a long way towards raising awareness in the industry about safety and wellbeing.

"The challenge is to maintain focus, make changes and help make farming a safer, healthier and more productive industry."

Agricultural risk expert Richard Wade, of Lycetts Risk Management Services, said: "What strikes me is the high death rate of older workers. Health and safety is a fundamental requirement of any farming operation, no matter how small or well-established it is, and minimising risk should be top priority.

"There is a danger that farmers who work for themselves harbour a perception that they do not need to carry out the necessary risk assessments or abide by the health and safety regulations, as they don’t have any employees. But, as this research shows, this can have devastating consequences.

"It may also be a case of farmers, due to economic constraints, are having to manage difficult and labour-heavy jobs by themselves or with limited resources – and are therefore putting themselves at increased risk.

"It is imperative that farmers take health and safety seriously and do their utmost to protect themselves, their employees and the public, as well as procuring comprehensive insurance cover in case a tragic incident like this does occur."