Maintaining health and safety standards on the farm

One of the key areas I come across during conversations with our members is that of health and safety and its importance on the farm.

Indeed, the Health and Safety Executive has recently had a new focus on the risks to human health posed by asbestos. Clearly, a high proportion of older farm buildings were constructed when this was a common component of many building products and insulation.

As NFU group secretaries and NFU Mutual agents, we consistently discuss with members the importance of health and safety.

The Health and Safety Executive has produced guidance on common risks in key farm danger areas in its “What a good farm looks like" guide. Guidance on how to maintain and achieve asbestos compliance is one of the areas contained in the guide.

There are serious risks to health posed by the exposure to asbestos and non compliance with asbestos regulations. The recent focus by the Health and Safety Executive to improve health and safety in agriculture has led to a number of unannounced farm inspections and a number of fines imposed for breaches of health regulations.

We must not ignore the dangers associated with asbestos and ensure that it is properly managed to remove danger to workers and visitors to our farms.

In addition to the information available from the Health & Safety Executive, members are more than welcome to contact us at our offices for further information and guidance on any health and safety matters.