According to the latest Health and Safety Executive (HSE) figures, farming is the second most dangerous profession in the UK.

The latest provisional figures from the HSE show there were 34 fatal accidents in farming between March 2010 and March 2011, with only the construction industry recording more fatalities. According to the statistics the rate of fatal accidents amongst agricultural workers was 8 in every 100,000 workers. Only the waste and recycling sector was fractionally higher. However, the HSE did say that the rate of fatal injuries seems to be falling.

HSE spokesperson Sandy Blair commented on the figures, "Agriculture is as much a community as it is an industry, which makes these deaths all the more devastating."

Figures from the Department of Work and Pensions, published last month, showed that the farming industry had the worst safety record of any industry. The figures showed agriculture accounted for up to 20 per cent of all work-related fatalities every year, despite the fact that farming involved only 1.4 per cent of the workforce. Furthermore, of the 750 recorded deaths in farming over the past 16 years, 98 were of members of the public.

As part of its ongoing campaign to raise awareness of farm safety issues, the NFU will be organising a number of farm safety and Health Awareness Days (SHADs), which will be held between August and October this year in locations throughout the UK. The dates and locations can be viewed here.