INCIDENTS INVOLVING moving vehicles and cattle are the biggest causes of death on Britain's farms according to the Health and Safety Executive.

A total of 33 workers and four members of the public were killed on Britain's farms during 2014/15 with around half being struck or run over by farm equipment, or crushed or trampled by cattle.

Transport and livestock are two of the five themes of this week's 'Farm Safety Week', an initiative led by the Farm Safety Foundation. NFU Scotland supports the initiative in the hope that farmers and those within the industry will make their own safety and that of others around them a priority.

Over the course of this week, NFUS will detail personal stories from well-known farmers from across Scotland who have had an accident on their farm, the impact it had on them and how their practices changed as a result. (One was carried in our Saturday edition, featuring the experience of our own farming writer, Rog Wood and his wife Carmen).

Each of the main causes of death or injury on farm will be featured - falls, livestock, machinery and transport, rounding off the week with a special message on child safety. The overall theme is 'Don't learn safety by accident'.

Allan Bowie, NFU Scotland's president, commented: "Taking precautions to ensure the safety of you and your workforce can save lives, or help prevent serious injury. Much farm work is carried out using heavy machinery and equipment, and it is imperative that farmers put the safety of themselves and their employees first.

"During the last 10 years, six people have been killed by contact with the moving parts of equipment or machinery - 8% of all fatalities."

Cabinet secretary for rural affairs, Richard Lochhead, added: "There are four causes that account for over 70% of work related deaths on Scottish farms - machinery and equipment is one of them, along with falls from height, transport and cattle handling.

"I hope raising more awareness of safe farm working environments with Farm Safety Week will, in turn, help to reduce the number of accidents and deaths on Scotland's farms in the coming years."

Other Scottish farmers featured by NFUS include Andrew Moir, an arable farmer from Aberdeenshire, who spent eight days in hospital followed by a full year of rehabilitation after a near fatal fall from a ladder on his farm.

Peter Stewart, of Urquhart Farm, Dumfermline, who spent six weeks in a wheelchair after falling from a potato box, resulting in a broken hip and leg.

Although there were no child deaths on farms during 2014/15, in a typical year, one or two children have lost their lives on Britain's farms and child safety continues to be a concern for the industry.

HSE's head of agriculture, Rick Brunt, said: "Deaths in farming have remained stubbornly high over the past few years and agriculture continues to have the poorest record of managing risk of any industry in Britain. The death rate on Britain's farms is more than five times that of the construction industry and 20 times higher than the all industries average."