Farmers in Shropshire and Mid-Wales urged to act on safety measures

Figures from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) show that 33 people across Britain were killed, with two in Powys and one in Shropshire.

Six people were killed in agriculture in Wales this year, bringing the total number of people killed over a five-year period to 20 – an average of four deaths per year.

This year, Wales was the region with the second highest number of deaths, after Yorkshire and Humber, which had seven.

Richard Wade, of Lycetts Risk Management Services, said: “Agriculture’s high fatality rate significantly outstrips that of other industries.

“It is more than five times higher than the second most-risky industry, construction, which really drives home just how hazardous an industry it is.

“Farmers face potentially fatal risks on a daily basis, from working with unpredictable animals to potentially dangerous machinery, so protecting personal and employee health should be top priority.

“Sadly, members of the public, family members and children living on the farm also get caught up in incidents and account for some of the overall deaths.

“It is clear the burden of keeping farms safe is a heavy, but necessary one, with no room for error.

“There have been great strides with regards to health and safety over the past decades, with the number of fatal injuries to workers in agriculture falling by around half since 1981 – but we still have a huge way to go.

“Just last week, we learned that a farmer was jailed for causing the death of a young woman by failing to replace a £75 cover on the drive shaft of a milling machine.”

Of the 33 deaths in the agricultural sector this year, four were members of the public, two of which were children.

In Powys, a 43 year old male was struck by a moving vehicle, and an 85 year old woman was injured by an animal. In Shropshire, a 44 year old man was killed when he fell from height.