Josh shares experience to warn of dangers on the farm

And Josh Morland, 24, says the important message we should all take is clear – ‘no-one is indestructible’ and incidents can happen when we least expect them, or if we cut corners.

Josh’s own accident was a freak one, rather than the result of complacency, as he suffered a farm accident where his foot got locked in a draw bar. He had to have two toes amputated on his right foot as a result.

But he says it’s important that people remain switched on at all times. His message came as new figures, out in July, showed farming continues to have the poorest safety record of any occupation in the UK.

Figures, released by the Health & Safety Executive (HSE), revealed 27 people lost their lives on English, Welsh and Scottish farms in 2023-24.

Josh, whose family farm in Warwick but also have land in Tern Hill, Shropshire, said: “Farmers often put themselves under huge amounts of pressure which can mean they don’t always do the necessary checks and try to cut corners to save time. That can be life changing or worse.

“My own accident wasn’t because I was under pressure, but a lot of accidents do occur in that way. The weather is a big one and if you have people waiting for you, there can be a tendency to cut corners and it doesn’t always pay off. I’d remind people, you can make up lost time on the farm but you can’t bring yourself back if something happens.

“There are younger farmers who think they are indestructible. When you see a visual injury someone might suffer, such as the loss of an arm, it should and does bring things home what can happen.”

Reflecting on his own injury, Josh recalled: “I knew it was bad straight away. I was in work at 8am and by 10am I was in hospital.

“It’s taken several rounds of surgery and I was in hospital a couple of weeks. I came out and had two months off work before another operation and I’ve just had another one. I’ve lost the majority of my big toe and second toe on my right foot. It’s four years later now, but I’m finally starting to get there.

“It’s been hard with balance and, for example, pressing pedals down. The pressure you can put through your foot is difficult and it’s other things like running as well. And there’s also the mental side of it – being close to the back of machines and the hydraulic noise stuck with me and I was put off for a while.

"I look back and it shows things can happen to anyone, often when you least expect it and the impact it can have on you, and those around you, can put a huge strain on everyone.”

In a sector that accounts for one per cent of the working population, agriculture accounts for 20 per cent of all deaths in the workplace. Figures showed that, while the total number of people losing their lives on GB farms remained the same as the previous year, there was an increase in the number of farm workers killed in the workplace in 2023-24. The figure was 23, up from the 21 recorded in 2022-23, and nearly 40 per cent of these workers were over the age of 65 years.

Tragically, two of the four members of the public killed were children. One child was killed by a moving vehicle and the other was killed by a collapsing wall.

The Farm Safety Foundation (Yellow Wellies), the charity behind the annual Farm Safety Week campaign believes that, in addition to the numbers of lives lost on farms every year, the industry needs to address the attitude to risk-taking and poor safety behaviours that result in an additional 23,000 injuries to workers every year in GB alone. According to NFU Mutual, there were a total of 937 farm accident claims recorded in the UK for 2023/24, an encouraging decrease on the figure of 1,021 in 2022/23.

Causes of the accidents included falls from height, trapped body parts and falling objects, all of which cost the rural insurer over £68 million.

Stephanie Berkeley, Farm Safety Foundation manager, said: “Farm safety is not just our problem, it’s a worldwide problem.According to the International Labour Office (ILO) agriculture employs half of the world’s labour force but remains one of the three most hazardous sectors of activity, along with construction and mining. “Farm-related deaths mean families and communities devastated by the loss of a loved one. We can’t let this continue. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Farm Safety Foundation.

“While we are proud of what we have achieved, figures from HSE highlight that there is so much more to be done to address the risks and dangers farm workers face to put food on our plates.”

“Attitudes and behaviours around farm safety are changing but the pace of change is slow – too slow for the families of those we have lost in the industry and too slow for the thousands of farmers suffering every day with long term ill-health or serious injuries as a result of their work.

“Farm Safety Week will offer an opportunity for a real reset of the way we approach farm safety and risk-taking. We can not continue to tolerate poor safety behaviours, we can not assume that its somebody else’s job to drive this change in culture, and we can not rely on luck when going about our daily tasks.”

Sue Thompson, Head of Agriculture, Health & Safety Executive, added: “It is fantastic to see Farm Safety Week shine a light on both the safety and health issues that affect farmers. It is important farmers remain healthy and safe as they carry out an incredibly important, but at times, difficult job.

“Sadly, the numbers of fatalities within the industry remain stubbornly high. All too often, the industry fails to properly manage health and safety risk in the workplace, resulting in serious and fatal injuries that could, and should, have been prevented. That children continue to be killed on Britain’s farms is a source of tragedy and sadness and is totally unacceptable.

“Farmers must put the health and safety of themselves and others at the heart of what they do. Real change requires a significant shift in culture.

“We will keep working with vital agricultural industry partners such as the Farm Safety Foundation / Yellow Wellies, however the whole industry must take the lead in driving the cultural change that is so desperately needed.”