Welcome to Strutt & Parker’s Farm Research Group Health & Safety Update The quarterly Health & Safety Update is to assist you in ensuring you are thinking about topical health and safety matters on your farm and/or estate. Health and safety is a vital part of any business operation. With the onset of autumn, winter cereals being drilled, animals soon to be housed and the shooting season upon us it is worthwhile taking a few moments to consider what you need to do in terms of health and safety across your farm/estate over the next few months. With shorter day length and less field work being able to be carried out the winter months provide an opportunity to put staff through appropriate training and refresher courses to ensure both you and they are compliant. For further assistance, or information on the issues discussed below, please call your nearest Strutt & Parker office.
Lone Working Employees on farms and estates spend much of their day working alone due to the rural and often remote locations of farms and estates, mechanisation of agriculture means that there are less staff employed than years ago and we are reliant on machines to do much of the work. However, knowing the whereabouts of your staff is essential, in the event of an accident or an emergency it is imperative staff can be located, putting a system in place for regular checks to be made on all staff is extremely important. Regular checks should be made on those who are lone working to ensure they are safe, this can be done by phone/farm radio, where possible physically going to their location is beneficial. Poor mobile reception in some areas may mean radios are a better form of communication and should certainly be considered for some businesses. High risk work such as chainsawing should not be undertaken by lone workers. Those who are working alone should be medically fit to do so and this should be checked on at least an annual basis. If lone working occurs during 'unsociable hours' clear instructions should be left as to where they will be working in order to enable someone to locate them in an emergency. Where employees are working alone, ensure that they always have a mobile phone or farm radio with them. Mobile phones/farm radio must always be with you rather than left in a cab, they may be your only lifeline in the event of an accident or emergency. If employees have to meet with tenants or other parties either ensure they are accompanied or have a ‘code word’ system in place that enables them to call someone if they feel threatened without worsening the situation and be able to get someone to them quickly to assist them.
Tree Surveys With the onset of autumn it is a good time to review the farm tree survey; trees that have died or become damaged during the previous year may need some attention to ensure that they are not a hazard; particularly where they are near any public rights of way or highways. A tree survey involves inspecting all trees on your property and should be carried out on a regular basis. Trees that are close or next to public rights of way or highways are of particular importance; such a survey may require the expertise of a qualified aboriculturalist. Trees may be subject to statutory controls i.e. Tree Preservation Orders (TPO) and their status should be checked with the local authority before any works except emergency works are carried out. It is important to remember where your liabilities sit in relation to dangerous trees. An accident arising from a fallen tree can lead to a civil claim for damages being brought by the injured party against the landowner – any claim is likely to sit with the insurers of the property. However, where a work activity is involved a separate criminal prosecution could be brought – this could happen where a property is open to paying guests.
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Health & Safety Update | October 2016
Housing and Handling Livestock Housing livestock can be stressful on both animals and workers alike particularly if being housed for the first time or if they are not used to being handled such as those from hills or moorland, sucklers or newly calved cattle. Buildings should be regularly checked for sharp edges or damaged walling and repaired as necessary, try to ensure that when animals enter the housing for the first time it is well-lit and quiet so that they can become accustomed to their new environment.
a cause for concern, despite employees being well trained and familiar with the animals they are handling care must always be taken. Carrying out tasks on unrestrained cattle or with makeshift equipment is particularly hazardous and should not be attempted. When utilising handling facilities animals should be able to readily enter the race, which should have a funnel end, animals prefer to move towards a light area than into the dark and there should be enough room in the collecting pen for them to feed into the funnel easily. The sides of the race should be high enough to prevent animals from jumping over them and should be secured to the ground and to each other for maximum strength. Hinged or sliding doors are suitable, but should be operated from the working side of the race. Do not use makeshift gates and hurdles – they will make handling more difficult and increase the risk of injury.
Handling cattle always involves a risk of injury from crushing, kicking, butting or goring. The risk from cattle, even with good precautions in place should not be underestimated; some jobs may increase the risk of injury e.g. veterinary work. Fatal injuries caused from handling livestock remains one of the highest causes of deaths in the HSE statistics which remains
Work around the crush will be more convenient if it is under cover with a workbench nearby (for example, documentation, veterinary medicines or instruments). Before working on any animal, check that you can restrain it from kicking; consider whether an anti-kicking device should be used. Never work on an animal in the crush with an unsecured animal waiting in the race behind. Consider the need for shedding gates after the crush to allow animals to be sorted into groups.
Shooting Employers and people who use guns have a legal duty to ensure that they take all reasonable practical measures so that no one is put at risk. This duty extends to farm staff, gamekeepers, beaters, pickers-up, guest volunteers, and members of the public. Guns are lethal weapons and should be treated with utmost care, suitable training should be given to all those who have no or limited experience of using a gun and they should be accompanied by an experienced user. At the start of every shoot day the shoot captain should provide a thorough safety briefing before the days shooting begins for the guns, a similar briefing should also be given to the beaters and pickers-up so that they are clear on what to expect during the course of the day. The briefing should include; safe shooting areas, what can and cannot be shot, what signals will start and finish a drive, that guns should be sleeved between drives, who the first aiders are, where first aid kits are kept and any other matters that are pertinent to the day including what to do in the event that the day is disrupted by anti-field sport protestors. When carrying a gun between drives it should be in its sleeve and unloaded so that it is obvious to others that it is safe, only load a gun when it is about to be used. If a rifle is being used, the breech should be clear and the magazine only inserted when required. Ensure that the correct calibre or bore of ammunition is used at all times. Good judgement and awareness are required when shooting, ensure that you and others are not fatigued or your senses affected by alcohol. Keep your finger away from the trigger until you are about to shoot and ensure the area is clear and safe to shoot into before pulling the trigger. Extra care should be taken when shooting at night. Bullets and pellets can ricochet on their way to a target so always ensure that there are not any obstacles in the line of fire. If a gun misfires take extreme care. The gun should be kept pointing in a safe direction and only opened when sufficient time has passed that no further detonation is likely to occur. Hearing protection should be worn at all times as gunshot can cause instantaneous damage to hearing.
Strutt & Parker | struttandparker.com
Health & Safety Update | October 2016
Competency and Training to Use Plant and Machinery Farm staff are required to perform a variety of tasks using a range or equipment and tools some of which requires formal certification by a recognised training body. Such certification provides a basic level of safety and operation skills to ensure safe operation for the operator, the environment and the employer, it does not guarantee a high level of skill – this is something that will come with time and experience of operating the machine or equipment. It is essential that you check what certificates are held by your staff and take a copy of them for your records, you should note refresher dates and ensure you arrange refresher training before the expiry dates. If appropriate certification is not held staff must not be allowed to use the machinery or plant unless under the direct supervision of a competent person who holds the appropriate certificate. The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 requires that the employer provides whatever information, instruction and training is required to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health and safety of your employees. This is reinforced by the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, which require employers to identify situations where training is particularly important, e.g. when people start work, exposure to new or increased risks and where existing skills require updating.
Hedgecutting With the bird nesting season over hedges are already being cut. Whilst to begin with much of the work may be confined to fields appropriate signage should still be erected to warn other road users of potential flying debris when roadside hedges are being cut even when working in the field. Certainly when tractors are cutting from the roadside signage should be erected, flashing beacons and all lights must be working and glass should be clean and not obstructed.
Try to carry out roadside works outside of peak periods but during daylight hours to minimise the risk to both the operator and other road users. Work lights should not be on when working on the road as they can blind other road users creating a further hazard. Only operators who are appropriately trained should use hedge cutters and they should pay particular attention when operating on roadsides and next to rights of way. Hedge cutters and flail mowers have a number of dangers associated with them for both the operator and other parties, these include; Debris being discharged at high speeds; Numerous moving parts; Contact with overhead power lines; Overbalancing of machine when the arm is extended; Oil being used at high pressures. The hedgecutter and tractor should be thoroughly checked to ensure it is safe to use prior to starting any hedgecutting work. All guards should be in place including PTO, flail covers on the hedgecutter head and cab glass protection.
Risk Assessments Risk assessments are a legal requirement and must be carried out to identify preventative and protective measures through the evaluation of risk arising from a hazard(s) whilst taking into consideration any existing controls and determining whether or not the risk is acceptable. A hazard is ‘something that has the potential to cause harm’ and a risk is ‘the likelihood that harm will occur and the severity of the harm’. Hazards can be categorised as physical (e.g. trailing cables), chemical (e.g. pesticides), biological (e.g. viruses), ergonomic (e.g. repetitive movements) and psychological (e.g. hours of work). Hazards should be eliminated wherever possible through the careful selection and design of facilities and equipment. Where hazards cannot be eliminated the risk must be minimised by physical controls such as machine guards. Safe systems of work should be drawn up for all high risk activities. Personal protective equipment (PPE) should be employed as a final resort as these depend on individuals using and implementing them correctly. When carrying out a risk assessment the order of principles to reduce the risk for any situation is: Risk assessments should be reviewed annually as a minimum, whenever a new piece of equipment is purchased or an incident occurs that highlights the need for a safety review. Risk assessments should be reviewed with the staff as they operate the machines and equipment and they will be able to identify the risks and put forward preventative measures to reduce the risk.
Strutt & Parker | struttandparker.com
Health & Safety Update | October 2016
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Land Management James Farrell BSc(Hons) MRICS FAAV 01423 706770
[email protected] Farming Will Gemmill BSc FAAV MBPR (Agric) 01223 459471
[email protected] Development & Planning Simon Kibblewhite BSc(Hons) BA FRICS MCIArb 020 7318 5177
[email protected] Accounting and Taxation Services Alex Heffer, BA(Hons) ACCA 01245 254656
[email protected] Building Surveying Tony Saffery MRICS 01483 303098
[email protected] National Estate Agency Guy Robinson 020 7318 5175
[email protected] Estate & Farm Agency Mark McAndrew MRICS 020 7318 5171
[email protected] Health & Safety David Canty MSc MRICS MBPR (Agric. Fert) Tech IOSH 01727 790480
[email protected] Energy Alexander Creed BSc(Hons) MRICS FAAV 020 7318 5022
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Health & Safety Update | October 2016
