Farming is among Britain's riskiest industries, and the law covers you whether you employ people, work with family or work alone.
Your duties
As an employer you must look after the health, safety and welfare of your employees so far as is reasonably practicable, and protect other people your work affects, such as contractors, visitors and the public. Self-employed people in agriculture have the same duty to protect themselves and others, because agriculture is one of the activities prescribed in the regulations that extend the duty to the self-employed.
If you employ five or more people you must also have a written health and safety policy. If you employ anyone, however briefly, you must provide welfare facilities, including toilets, washing facilities, drinking water and somewhere to rest and eat.
Assess the risks
Walk the farm and work out what could hurt someone, who could be hurt, how likely it is, and what you will do about it. Cover seasonal jobs, contractors, visitors and anyone who works alone. If you employ five or more people, write down the significant findings.
Control the main causes of death
A few hazards cause most of the deaths on farms. One control for each is the starting point; your risk assessment sets the rest.
| Hazard | What to do |
|---|---|
| Vehicles overturning | Use tractors and other self-propelled vehicles fitted with a roll-over protective structure and a seatbelt, and plan work on slopes for the gradient, surface and weather |
| Falls from height | Treat fibre cement sheets and roof lights as fragile. No one works on or walks over a fragile roof unless platforms or covers will support their weight, and roof ladders or crawling boards must span at least three purlins |
| Cattle and other livestock | Handle animals in a race and crush that suit them, kept in good order, with trained workers, and never work on an animal in the crush with an unsecured animal waiting in the race behind |
| Machinery and moving vehicles | Follow safe stop before leaving the seat, when anyone approaches, and before maintenance, adjustment or clearing a blockage: handbrake on, controls in neutral, engine off, key out |
| Slurry stores and confined spaces | Do not enter unless you cannot do the job any other way, and then only under a safe system of work that includes rescue arrangements |
| Overhead power lines | Know where the lines run on your land and avoid stacking, tipping, folding sprayer booms or raising ladders and equipment within 10 metres horizontally of them; ask the network operator for advice if you cannot |
Provide first aid
Assess what first aid your farm needs. Remote fields, long ambulance journeys and people working alone all count.
Report serious injuries
Under RIDDOR you must report to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) any work-related death, specified serious injuries such as most fractures and amputations, certain dangerous occurrences, and any injury that keeps someone off their normal work for more than seven days. For deaths, specified injuries and dangerous occurrences, notify HSE by the quickest practicable means without delay and send a report within 10 days. For an over-seven-day injury, report within 15 days of the accident. Keep a record of each reportable incident for at least three years. Failing to report is a criminal offence.
Self-employed farmers report too. The responsible person for an injury to a self-employed person is whoever controls the premises, which is often you.
Insure your employees
If you employ anyone you need employers' liability insurance. It is a legal requirement from the day you take on your first employee.
Legal basis
Primary legislation and key regulations