Farm Accidents

If you have experienced a farm accident, we may be able to help you claim the compensation you deserve.

A farm can be a dangerous place, and with this comes a huge risk of farm accidents. Livestock, machinery, and frequent exposure to chemicals and dust can cause major farming accidents, which can lead to serious injuries. According to the Health and Safety Executive, agriculture was one of the biggest industries for accidents at work, with the industry having the highest rate of non-fatal injuries to workers in 2018/19.

Employer’s Responsibility

Your employer is responsible for keeping you safe at work. On a farm, this is even more important, as there are a lot of things that can cause an injury. Your employer must make sure that the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations (1999) are met, and they do so by conducting risk assessments to ensure that everyone is kept safe. Agricultural employers must make sure that they do everything possible to avoid staff having farm related injuries whilst at work.

If you have a farming accident and have to take time off work, you should get agricultural sick pay. This means that you should be paid at least the agricultural minimum wage whilst you are off. This is, however, likely to be less than your usual wage. This will be taken into consideration when you are making a claim.

If you are self-employed, you may still be able to make a farm accident claim. Farm workers are often self- employed on a contractor basis, so, importantly, there is still usually a company that they are working for. If the business you are working for fails in their duty to keep you safe, then they may be responsible for your farm accident.

Farm Accident Causes

There are many things that can cause farming injuries:

  • Machinery – a large portion of farming accidents come about through mismanagement of large and heavy machinery, such as tractors and forklift trucks.
  • Dangerous livestock  – farm injuries can occur through mishandling of difficult livestock.
  • Chemicals and toxic substances – farming accidents from chemical substances usually occur when a worker isn’t given the appropriate protective clothing and equipment.
  • Long-term exposure to asbestos, dust, and debris – farm accidents as a result of exposure can cause respiratory difficulty and lung deterioration.
  • Extreme noise from farm tools – the majority of noise related farm injuries occur through lack of ear protection.

It is your employer’s responsibility to keep you as safe as possible at work. They should be doing everything they can to help you avoid farm related injuries, such as conducting proper training and making sure equipment is safe to use.

Most Common Farm Accidents

Farm injuries are varied, and can range from a slip, trip, or fall, to serious injuries, or even long-term disorders.

Exposure to Asbestos over a long period of time can be a cause of farm injury. This long-term exposure can cause serious conditions, such as Asbestosis, Asbestos related cancers, and pleural thickening.

More of the most common farm accidents include handling dangerous livestock, falling from height, falling objects or debris, manual handling injuries, machinery related injuries, and collisions with moving vehicles such as tractors.

There are also risks of farm injury to workers when it comes to enclosed spaces, such as slurry pits, silos, and fuel storage tanks. Working in these spaces can cause drowning, asphyxiation, or exposure to toxic gases. Other industrial illness claims that farm workers may develop include noise-related hearing loss, respiratory diseases, certain types of cancer, and even vibration white finger.

farm accidents

Farm Accidents as A Visitor/guest

As well as the staff at a farm, members of the public can also have farming injuries. The most common type of farming accidents that visitors experience include slips, trips, and falls, and collisions with vehicles. The owners of the farm have a responsibility to keep the public safe from accidents as well as their staff.

How we can help

Here at The Compensation Experts, we work with solicitors who specialise in dealing with farm injury claims. This includes accidents at work, and accidents in public or private places. This means that they are well placed to help you get the compensation you may be entitled to. Call us today on 01614138765 to speak to our friendly helpful advisors or contact us and we will call you back.

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