Health and safety experts are calling for mandatory training to be given to agricultural workers in the UK. As part of a campaign being spearheaded by business support consultancy ELAS, safety experts are demanding staff and employers working in the UK’s agriculture industry receive training as a matter of course.

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The campaign was launched in response to the persistently high rates of injuries and fatal accidents in agricultural work; the sector was revealed to be the most dangerous in the UK in the Health and Safety Executive’s latest report. Those behind the scheme are seeking to introduce a proof of competence card scheme or nationally recognised transferable qualification.

Wayne Dunning, head of health and safety at ELAS, said, “At present, anyone who employs staff to work in agriculture has a duty of care and must provide the relevant training or they could find themselves at the centre of a lawsuit should an employee be injured at work.

“However, there isn’t any clear-​cut official guidance for agricultural businesses on how to provide a ‘duty of care’ to their workers, so most are at serious financial risk if the worst happens.

“What is needed is a period of mandatory training (which could be as little as half a day) covering topics such as working with animals, manual handling, emergency procedures, dealing with chemicals/​hazardous substances and operating farm equipment.”

Dunning pointed out that, even now, in the event of an incident an employer needs to be able to prove that the relevant training has been given. Without a clear record of this taking place, it can be difficult to prove that it has, leaving employers potentially liable to legal action.

He said a proof of competence card system, which has been put to use in other high risk industries including the construction industry, would provide a cost-​effective solution. According to the ELAS proposals, training could be carried out on-​site and could be delivered to groups of up to 15 people at a time, enabling neighbouring businesses to share the cost of delivery.