“When you see some of the statistics from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), it is quite shocking,” said Mr Gill, who sang in JLS, and now has a 13 acre smallholding at Westerham.
He was contacted by the Farm Safety Foundation to help support this year’s farm safety week. At the beginning of the week, the HSE released statistics showing the farming industry still has the highest rate of fatal injury in Britain.
HSE’s annual agricultural fatal injury statistics show that a total of 33 deaths were recorded in the sector between March 2017 and April 2018. Twenty nine agricultural workers were killed at work and an additional four members of the public – two of them children. While this is an increase of four deaths compared with 2016/17 and one more than the five year average of 32, the number is broadly similar to that seen in recent years.
The average rate of fatal injury in agriculture is 8.44 deaths per 100,000 workers, the highest of any sector and 18 times higher than the all industry average.
A breakdown of the HSE statistics showed being injured by an animal came out as the top cause of death on a farm, causing eight deaths last year. This was followed by being struck by a moving vehicle (six), being trapped by something collapsing (five), being struck by an object (four) and falling from height (three).
JB Gill lives on the farm with his wife Chloe and their two year old son, Ace: another child is on the way. “Farms can be wonderful places for children to grow up,” he said. “But the sad fact is that farms are the only workplace where children continue to be involved in fatal accidents, which is heart breaking for the farm owners and the families involved, as well as a horrific tragedy for their communities.” Some 200 Kelly Bronze turkeys are raised on Mr Gill’s farm for the Chistmas market and pork from Tamworth pigs is sold locally. No big machinery is involved. “The biggest job we do which requires machinery is fencing, and that is all hand held stuff,” said Mr Gill.
