FARMERS are being urged not to cut corners in a bid to improve safety on Scotland's farms and crofts as it emerged Scotland has become a UK hotspot for deaths.
New figures show there have been seven fatalities in the agricultural, forestry and fishing industries on average in the past five years, more than twice the average of 11 regions of the UK.
The five-year average in Scotland is the highest amongst 11 regions of the UK with Yorkshire and the Humber and the south west of England comes closest with five.
NFU Scotland president Andrew McCornick has made an appeal to farmers to take action for improvements with Farm Safety Week starting on Monday.
Watermans Solicitors, lawyers representing victims of workplace accidents and their families in Scotland have also called for a focus on safety in the agricultural industry due to the "tragic increases".
READ MORE: Shock over 70% rise in Scottish deaths in the workplace
Last week the Herald highlighted concerns about the number of workplace deaths which rocketed by over 70% in last year in Scotland fuelled by concerns over a rise in deaths in agriculture, forestry and fishing.
Health and Safety Executive figures showed that the number of Scottish workers who never return to their families has risen from 17 in 2017/18 to 29 in 2018/19.
Most of the rise is down to an increase in the number of deaths in the agriculture, forestry and fishing sectors, from three to 13.
Mr McCornick, a father-of-four who farms in Wigtownshire, issued a warning to farmers not to leave anything to chance when ensuring safety after revealing that he crushed his foot in a farming accident two years ago.
He said: "Your mindset might be ‘that’s not my place’ or ‘it won’t happen to me’ but far too many people know someone who has suffered injury or even death as a result of an accident on a farm or croft.
"As someone who has previously suffered an accident, I know all too well that hindsight is a wonderful thing. Two years ago, I was in a rush to get a job finished and dropped a concrete panel, crushing my foot, sustaining fractures on my toe with a lot of blood and bruising.
"Had I not been in such a rush to get the panel up to get on with other things and thought how to do it a bit smarter; had l left the tractor to do the lifting at its end and put wood at my end to prop it up as it was rising; all this could have prevented my foot ending up under that slab, and my visit to accident and emergency.
"It really made me think about the environment we all work in, and how simple precautions can prevent long lasting consequences that an accident can bring.
He added in his message to farmers: "We have taken steps to look at our farm and understand how we can do better – whether that is having two people rather than one to hand to do a job more safely, understanding our obligations to one another when it comes to mental health, or having best practice in mind when driving a tractor, quad or other machinery.
"Take your time and think through the job properly, don’t try to cut corners. Everyone should take responsibility for the safety of themselves and others when on a farm or croft, and it is only by working together and making real, conscious changes to how we work that the death and injury toll will start to decline.
"Whilst we can work as part of the Scottish Farm Safety Partnership to educate and try to drive change, it is only you who can make those changes and help us change the mindset around farm safety."
READ MORE: Five farming deaths in Scotland this year
Thirty-three people were killed on farms in the UK in 2017/18 - four more than the previous year.
Of those eight, were killed when injured by an animal, six died when struck by a moving vehicle like a tractor, and five lost their lives when trapped by something collapsing. But an HSE analysis over five years has found that nearly one in four who died on farms were killed by a moving vehicle.
Source: HSE
Scott Whyte, managing director of Watermans Solicitors, is highlighting his firm’s first-hand experience of supporting those affected by poor safety standards in some parts of the agricultural industry and calling for everyone involved in the sector to commit to improving the situation.
He said: “Every workplace fatality, wherever and however it occurs, is one too many and represents a tragedy for its victim and their family. There is legislation and safety protections in place to protect people in every industry but too often we see at first-hand the consequences of it not being properly followed or enforced in the agricultural sector.
“Farm Safety Week is an important part of the work that many organisations are doing to improve safety. I hope we see a renewed commitment from all involved in the sector to improve safety for everyone who works in it and achieve a situation where no-one goes to work and doesn’t come home again.”
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