2018-07-16 |
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Increase in Farm Safety Awareness Among Young Farmers
More than 1,600 young farmers across England and Wales are more aware of farm safety thanks to a training course that has been delivered by Young Farmers’ Clubs (YFCs) – and the national Federation (NFYFC) is aiming for even higher numbers in the new membership year.
It is the most popular NFYFC course that clubs have chosen to deliver during this membership year and evaluation forms have revealed that 97% of those members who have taken the course, say it has improved their awareness of farm safety.
Following last year’s Farm Safety Week campaign, more than 100 YFCs pledged to deliver the training in their clubs. During this year’s Farm Safety Week (16-20 July), NFYFC is urging more of its 619 clubs to pledge their commitment to delivering NFYFC's Farm Safety Curve training module and to put it on their 2018-19 club programmes.
The one-and-a-half-hour course, developed with The Farm Safety Foundation, is aimed at preventing farm accidents and challenging behaviours. Delivered in clubs by NFYFC trainers, the course includes first aid and first response implications of farming accidents, guidance on how to assess a farming task and identify risks as well as teaching the skills required to make a farm task safe.
YFC members, clubs and counties have been asked to show their support for Farm Safety Week by sharing NFYFC’s ‘pledges’ to deliver the training on social media, on their websites and in newsletters.
NFYFC Chairman of Council Lynsey
Martin said:
“More than 100 Young
Farmers’ Clubs have delivered the farm safety course this membership
year which is great but we can do better than that! Young farmers have
a unique opportunity to raise awareness about farm safety, to change
attitudes and raise awareness of the dangers.”
Stephanie Berkeley from Yellow Wellies said:
“It’s fantastic that
NFYFC is leading the way and getting that message out there to the
next generation. We want these young farmers to bring the good behaviours
into the industry, start to challenge older farmers and help to address
the fact that farming has the poorest safety record of any occupation
in the UK.”
The latest annual figures from the Health and Safety Executive show that out of 144 people killed or fatally injured in workplace accidents last year, 29 worked in agriculture.
