The importance of farm safety is being highlighted this harvest following one of the worst years on record for fatalities.
Farm safety campaigners will renew calls for greater awareness of workplace risks during Farm Safety Week (20–24 July 2026). It comes after 33 people died in farming-related incidents across Great Britain in the year to April.
Farming accounts for 1% of the working population but an alarming 19% of all workplace deaths. The picture is similar in Northern Ireland where there were five reportable workplace fatalities in 2024/2025.
High-risk
Harvest is a high-risk time of year for accidents. Time pressure and big machinery being operated at speed pose a particular risk – especially for seasonal workers unfamiliar with the farm or locality.
The National Grid says at least one agricultural accident involving overhead electricity lines is reported every day. It responds to hundreds of incidents in which farm workers or their vehicles have come into contact with electricity.
Most farming incidents involving electricity are linked to vehicles with elevating equipment, including harvesting equipment and spray booms, which make contact with overhead lines. Others are caused by vehicles using GPS steering, which may not take into account obstacles such as electricity poles, resulting in potentially catastrophic collisions, says the National Grid.
If contact is made with a power line, farm workers are advised to stay in the cab and try to drive clear. If that is not possible, the driver should stay in the cab and call 105, only leaving the machine in an emergency. When leaving the vehicle, they should take care not to hold the machine and touch the ground at the same time; they should take leaping strides or ‘bunny hop’ away so that one foot is off the floor at all times.