Date:
30 June 2010
New figures for the number of workers who were fatally injured in the agriculture sector have today been released by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
They show that between 1 April 2009 and 31 March 2010:
* 38 agriculture workers were killed at work, marking a return to average levels of previous years in contrast to the record low in 2008/09 when 25 workers died
* the rate of fatal injuries in the sector was 8.2 per 100,000 workers, making it the most dangerous industry in which to work
* of the 38 agriculture workers killed, 17 were employees and 21 were self employed people.
* seven members of the public were also killed in work related accidents in the sector.
HSE's Head of Agriculture, Graeme Walker said:
"38 workers were killed on British farms last year, failing to come home to their families because of avoidable safety failings - proving once again that agriculture is the most dangerous way of making a living in Great Britain.
"The fact that many of these lives have been lost in family businesses is a double tragedy. Not only have families been ripped apart, but businesses that have been handed down through generations have been ruined.
"Farming and agricultural work has a poor safety record compared with other industries - we cannot let this trend continue."
This is despite the news that: New figures released today reveal that the number of people killed at work in Britain fell last year to a record low.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has released the provisional data, which shows that 151 workers were killed between 1 April 2009 and 31 March 2010 compared to 178 deaths in the previous year and an average number over the last 5 years of 220 deaths per year.
