Free Awareness Days To Be Held

Specialist workplace injury solicitors at Irwin Mitchell have given their backing to a series of free training events taking place across the coming weeks.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has announced that it is holding safety awareness days with a view to reducing the number of people who suffer serious or fatal injuries while working in the agricultural sector.

According to the body, just under 50 people are killed on farms in Britain every year, with its events focusing on the handling of hazardous materials, machine safety, workplace transport and working at height.

Elaine Russell, a Partner at Irwin Mitchell’s office in Glasgow, has welcomed the announcement and called on farmers in Scotland to attend an event at the Lochaber Rural Complex at Fort William later this week.

She said: “Recent research showed that around two-thirds of Scots killed at work last year were based in the agricultural sector, so there is a clear and desperate need for safety to be improved in the industry.

“We see time and time again the impact that accidents at work can have on people, often leaving them with serious long-term injuries from which they never fully recover.

“Employers in the farming sector, which is undoubtedly one of the most dangerous to work in, need to recognise just how important safety is in this area and ensure they are doing everything to ensure their staff are able to return home safely following a day’s work.

“We hope that these free events will play a key role in improving levels of safety and reducing the worrying number of people who are hurt, through no fault of their own, while doing their jobs.”