Agricultural safety – time for change

On 1 July 2026 the HSE published its latest annual statistics for work-related health and safety in Great Britain. 

The data suggests that, as Farm Safety Week approaches on 20-24 July 2026, there remains a need to tackle poor health and safety practices in the sector, which retains one of the highest work-related fatal accident rates - agriculture, forestry and fishing continue to report fatal injuries at more than 20 times above the ‘all-industry’ average. Such figures prompt reflection on whether health and safety messages are being communicated and embedded effectively across the sector.

Well-known activities still result in highest percentage of incidents

Unlike in some other sectors where emerging technologies or lack of familiarity with certain tasks result in incidents, the activities most likely to result in incidents in agriculture are well-recognised and commonly encountered. By the end of May 2026, seven deaths had been reported in just seven weeks, prompting concerns that such a trend could result in one of the worst recording years in decades for the sector.

The activities resulting in the deaths involved routine tasks (overturning ATVs; falls from height; being struck by a falling object) which, highlights the importance of planning, training and identifying a safe system of work before starting the work. In addition to coming into contact with moving machinery and vehicles, such activities result in 80% of the reported fatal injuries in the agricultural sector.

Farm Safety Week 2026

The Farm Safety Foundation, also known as Yellow Wellies, will hold its annual Farm Safety Week on 20-24 July 2026. This year’s campaign will seek to highlight the human cost of workplace accidents and encourage a culture in which safety is viewed and embraced as a shared responsibility across the agriculture sector.

The shift in focus from statistics to real world consequences confirm the need to drive the safety message home and influence a change in approach and attitude towards safety in agriculture.

A different approach by the Crown to publicising agricultural safety issues?

In Scotland, all work-related deaths require to be the subject of a Fatal Accident Inquiry (FAI). The purpose of such proceedings is to explore the factual circumstances of incidents and to learn lessons from the circumstances, aimed at preventing recurrence. Accordingly, the vast majority of FAIs have considered a single incident and the consequences thereof. However, in 2025, the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) announced that it would target the most common cause of fatal injuries – falls from height – and the agriculture sector, by convening a FAI into the deaths of six farm workers with the “hope… that it will raise awareness on safe practices when working at height” according to Andy Shanks who leads on fatalities investigations for COPFS.

The FAI which will be heard at Falkirk Sheriff Court, will explore the deaths of Alan Brisbane (60), Charles Emslie (71), Colin Gibson (62), Dale Pattinson (36), Hugh MacPhail (75) and James Smith (74) all of whom died between 2022 and 2024 as a result of falling from height whilst undertaking maintenance on grain stores or cow sheds.

Reflecting on the increasing trend in agriculture-related deaths, the CEO of the National Association of Agricultural Contractors (NAAC) Gill Hewitt said “It is all too easy when under pressure to think that Health & Safety is all about paperwork and hassle. However, the number of fatal and serious accidents in farming continues to remain stubbornly high and the NAAC wants to visually remind everyone to protect themselves and their colleagues.”

Legal consequences of health and safety breaches

It should not be forgotten that, in addition to the human cost arising from unsafe working practices in the agriculture sector, there also remains the possibility of investigation by HSE and possible criminal prosecution.

For those owning/operating farms, the legal duties cover their employees and anyone who may be affected by the farm’s operations. This includes, for example, seasonal workers who may not be directly employed and/or members of the public who may interacted with the farm, its vehicles or its livestock.

COPFS will prosecute agricultural entities – companies and/or individuals - where it considers the breach of health and safety law justifies such action. If convicted of such a breach, fines and/or imprisonment are possible sentences. Recent cases, by way of example, include the prosecution and conviction of a farmer whose cattle trampled a walker and his dog on a public footpath; prosecution of a farming partnership after a worker was crushed by falling hay bales; and a case where a worker sustained fatal injuries after his clothing became entangled in unguarded moving machinery.

Accordingly, raising awareness within the sector to ensure health and safety risks are adequately identified, considered and mitigated remains of the utmost importance. 

Please contact your usual Brodies contact or member of the Brodies Health & Safety team if you would like to discuss what steps you can take to ensure compliance with health and safety duties now.