Farmers are being urged to give up five minutes of their time to take part in research on farm safety, with a view to helping save lives in the future.
Emily Jones, 22, a BSc (Hons) Agri-Business student at Harper Adams University, is conducting the investigation as part of her studies.
“The agricultural industry accounts for just 1% of the British workforce, but is responsible for 20% of all annual workplace fatalities and is regarded as Britain’s deadliest’ industry,” said Emily, from Herefordshire. “This study will consider farmers’ attitudes to safety, how to drive wide-spread sustainable change and how best to engage with the industry in order to reduce accidents and improve farm safety.
“I’m passionate about improving farm safety because I believe that no one should go through the pain of losing a loved one if the circumstances can be prevented, which, tragically, is often the case with farm accidents.
“Last year 21 people were killed on farms in the UK and the total fatalities for this year far surpasses that number. Agriculture is the most dangerous industry in the UK and it is clear that we can, and must, do better when it comes to safety. This research aims to determine farmers’ attitudes to safety, whilst considering the best ways to engage and drive change in order to improve farm safety.”
The survey can be found online and Emily is seeking as many responses as she can get.
