The recent statistic showing there have been five quad bike fatalities since March sent a sickening feeling into the pit of my stomach.
As an industry, we have pushed farm safety so much over recent years – I genuinely believe we’re taking more accountability and encouraging each other to think about health and safety more.
I thought this would be the change we needed, a reminder that we are not invincible, that so often we dice with death and assume we will walk away fine because, well, ‘I’ve done this a hundred times before’.
Instead, we have seen five lives lost in six months, five families broken, countless friends with one less person to talk to and communities with a now unrepairable hole.
How many lives must be lost for our industry to take a serious look in the mirror and decide enough is enough?
‘Stop devastation from knocking at your door’
Please don’t take my bluntness as a lack of understanding for the pressures in farming that often lead to these fatalities.
We all know how easy it is to quickly (and unsafely) do a job because of a never-ending task list, not enough time in the day, exhaustion or because our mental health is taking a beating and clouding our judgement.
But these cannot be excuses for not implementing safety on a daily basis.
“We are our farms’ biggest asset, and we are so much more to our loved ones.”
NFU member Hannah Jackson
Accidents are inevitable, but health and safety can be the difference between life and death.
It can save limbs and stop devastation from knocking at your door. My dad flipped his quad bike and walked away unharmed thanks to his bike helmet and our dog safety box on the back.
We make risk assessments every single day, from deciding if our cup of tea is too hot, to wearing a seat belt in the car, to looking both ways before we cross the road. So why are we taking more extreme risks at work?
We are our farms’ biggest asset, and we are so much more to our loved ones.
Prioritise safety, think of the risks and act appropriately. You deserve to be home safely every night – please wear a helmet.
