Be safe during harvest, farmers warned (From The Westmorland Gazette)

Be safe during harvest, farmers warned

3:59pm Friday 3rd September 2010 in

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NORTH west farmers are being reminded to wear safety straps when driving their tractors, especially during the busy harvest period.

Over the past ten years almost one in four of fatal accidents in agriculture have involved workplace transport, some of these involving tractors overturning.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is recommending that anyone driving a tractor, fitted with roll-over protective structures, wears lap straps when there is a risk that the tractor might overturn, for example, when driving on sloping ground, silage clamps and on ditch sides.

Steven Smith, north west head of operations, said: “Safety cabs have had to be fitted to tractors, by law, since the early 1970s and this has been a tremendous success in reducing fatalities but there are still several accidents every year where the driver is thrown from an overturning tractor.

“Lap straps can be fitted at relatively low cost when there are already mounting points on the seat, so could be considered a small price to pay for a potentially life saving bit of kit.”

Farming remains one of the most dangerous professions in Great Britain, with 38 agriculture workers killed at work during 2009/10.

The HSE guidance publication ‘Tractor Action’ has more information on general safety while working with tractors, and Agricultural Information Sheet 37 has information on the use of seat restraints in other agricultural vehicles. Both are available for free at www.hse.gov.uk/agriculture