Two more workers killed in farm accidents, HSE confirms

Farmers are being urged to make safety a priority following confirmation of two more fatalities in separate accidents on UK farms.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and police are investigating two farm deaths on UK farms this month, which means eight people have now lost their lives in farming accidents since 1 April.

On Wednesday 12 May, a man was killed after an accident on a farm in Holderness, East Riding of Yorkshire.

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A spokesman for Humberside Police said: “On Wednesday 12 May at 10:45am officers were called to concerns for a man’s safety at a property on Withernsea Road, Hull.

“Upon arrival the man was sadly pronounced deceased. The circumstances of his death are not being treated as suspicious and our sympathies are with his family and friends at this sad time.”

A HSE spokesperson said: “HSE is assisting police with their enquiries into the death of a man at a farm in Holderness, East Yorkshire. We cannot comment further at this time.”

Separately, a self-employed farmworker has died following an accident on a farm in west Devon on 6 May.

In a statement, the HSE said the worker was found in front of one of the rear wheels of a backhoe loader. “It appears he had been crushed,” added the statement.

There were more than 50 deaths due to accidents on farms in the past 12 months, according to figures estimated by Farmers Weekly – the highest level for some 25 years.

‘Not just statistics’

Stephanie Berkeley, manager of the Farm Safety Foundation, said: “If these estimates are correct, there have been eight more members of our industry who have lost their lives on our farms since 1 April 2021.  

“Whether this means the figures are going up or down, we need to remember these are not just statistics. Behind each fatal notification is a grieving family, a community in shock, and a farm that needs to continue being farmed no matter what has happened.

“As an industry, we need to do more than sit around and talk about how awful our safety record is. We need action. We need to engage with farmers of all ages to make farms safer places to work.”