HSE Backs Farm Safety Week As Children And Older Workers Remain At Risk

HSE has reaffirmed its support for Farm Safety Week following provisional figures for 2025 26 that show 29 people were killed in agriculture forestry and fishing, including seven members of the public and three children. The agency highlights that children and older workers remain disproportionately at risk and that agriculture continues to record the highest rate of fatal injury among UK industries.

Longer term data underline the scale of the problem. Over the last five years the sector has averaged 28 work related deaths a year, and measured per 100,000 workers the fatal injury rate is five times higher than construction and 21 times higher than the all industry average. Vehicles, falling objects, falls from height, animals and machinery are the main causes of death, with moving or overturning vehicles alone accounting for eight fatalities in 2025 26, pointing to clear priorities for on farm risk management.

HSE has stressed that these deaths are not inevitable and called for practical and cultural change across the industry. The regulator advises keeping young children out of the farm workplace and in safe fenced areas, and notes particular concern about fatalities among workers aged over 65. HSE will continue to work with industry partners including Britain’s Farm Safety Partnerships and reminds farms that free guidance such as What a good farm looks like and Farmwise, including Welsh language versions, is available to help improve safety.

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