Legislation & Enforcement

The 2005 Act requires

• a safe place of work which includes the farmyard and buildings
• safe working practices and procedures
• safe equipment and machinery
• a safe way in and out of the farmyard and other places of work, including farm buildings
• information and training for workers
• personal protective equipment where necessary
• a safe system for the storage, handling and use of articles and substances
• adequate toilet and washing facilities

• A farmer is required by law to prepare a Safety Statement in writing and consult employees on its contents. He/she must specify how these risks are to be controlled. A farmer's Safety Statement must set out the arrangements and resources provided
• The 2005 Act allows certain employers (including farmers) with three or less employees to comply with the terms of a Code of Practice as an alternative to preparing a Safety Statement
• The Safety Statement must be made available to all employees on the farm
• The Safety Statement contents must be brought to the attention of any persons who may be at risk
• Staff responsible for safety tasks must be named in the Safety Statement

A specialist group of Inspectors exist for inspection of the Agriculture sector. Inspection campaigns over recent years have found that levels of compliance in the sector are slowly increasing. However, the sector continues to experience a disproportionately high level of fatal accidents.

In 2011 the HSA carried out 3,000 farm inspections. During those inspections Notices were issued.

• An Improvement Notice is a legal directive from an Inspector requiring that certain improvements be carried out in a specified time-frame
• A Prohibition Notice is a legal instruction directing that a specified work activity be stopped due to the level of danger