Health and Safety Agriculture Level 3
LO 1. Understand how people’s knowledge, experience and attitude affect their perception of risk
Farm Safety
The farm is is most dangerous workplace in the UK. You are more likely to be
killed at work on a farm than in any other industry. During the last decade the fatal injury rate has
fluctuated around 10 per 100,000 workers - nearly ten
times the all-industry rate.
Agriculture also has a poor occupational health record. With a prevalence rate of 6,500 per 100,000
people, agriculture has one of the highest prevalence rates of self-reported
ill health of all industries. Muscle and bone disorders are particularly prevalent in horticulture and fruit & vegetable sectors.
Yet many people believe that working outdoors is
healthier than work in a factory. This is an example of how the
'actual' risks may be different from the 'perceived' risks.
Reflection
Did you know these death statistics? Latest figures. Do you think that most people who work on farms or holdings realise that while they make up less than 2% of the workforce, they account for 16% of all deaths at work?
Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 License
LANTRA Awards: Controlling Risks in Agriculture Level 3