Assessing and managing health and safety risks in the agricultural sector

The most recent Health and Safety Executive (HSE) statistics highlight the serious risks that are present within agricultural and rural settings, with the sector experiencing the highest rate of non-fatal injury of any measured industry. These are significant dangers, which employers and landowners must seek to mitigate.

In 2024/25, 24 workers were killed in work-related accidents within the agricultural, forestry, and fishing industries. Including four members of the public who were killed on British farms, the total number of work-related fatalities reaches 28.

What are the main risks in the Agricultural Sector?

According to recent HSE statistics, the main causes of accident in this sector are:

Being hit by a moving vehicle/machine/falling object
Falling from a substantial height
Sustaining injuries from farm animals
Coming into contact with dangerous farm machinery

What duties are placed upon me as a landowner or employer?

The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 sets out a number of duties applicable to all employers, including those within the agricultural sector.

Employers owe a duty of care to their employees and to “persons other than their employees”, i.e. the general public. While the duties owed to employees are more specific, a general duty is owed by employers/ landowners not to expose the general public to any health and safety risks.

This general duty imposes a broad requirement on farm owners to ensure no part of their property poses a health and safety risk to the general public.

A number of risks can arise from public access to farmland. Owners of such premises should conduct a regular assessment of the risks relevant to their land and any necessary mitigations which should be undertaken to prevent the public from coming to harm as a result of these risks.

In addition, those employing agricultural workers in Scotland have a number of obligations under the Agricultural Wages (Scotland) Order (AWO), including an obligation to allow their employees to attend up to two days of health and safety training each year, should the employees request it.

Employers are also entitled to require that their employees attend such training. Where an employee is unable to attend the training due to injury, illness, or any other authorised absence, the employee can still enforce their right to the training (or be required to attend by the employer) within the first four months of the following holiday year.

What are the most common causes of accidents in an agricultural setting?

It is evident from the HSE’s statistics that the main causes of accidents within the agricultural sector can be categorised as follows:

Injury caused by livestock
Slips, trips, and falls, particularly from a height
Injury caused by contact with farm machinery
Being struck by an object, either moving or stationary (including being struck by a moving vehicle)

What can go wrong?

The HSE’s recent stats are reflected in two recent prosecutions. In May 2026, an egg farm was fined £56,000 after a worker was trapped in running conveyor machinery at a farm near Banff. The worker suffered serious nerve damage in both arms after undertaking a routine cleaning operation. An HSE investigation found that while the farm had risk assessments in place, there were no measures in place that would have automatically stopped the belt before dangerous nip points could be reached.
In another case, a farmer was fined £5,260 and ordered to pay costs of around £6,500 after walkers were attacked by the farmer’s cattle. A man suffered serious injuries and required surgery after being trampled while walking his dog. An HSE investigation found that cattle with young calves, which are known to be protective and unpredictable were being kept in a field with a public right of way across it. The farmer had other enclosed fields available which did not contain public rights of way and could have been used to house the cattle and calves. This prosecution is an important reminder of the unpredictability of the behaviour of cows (especially around their calves) and the importance of safety measures. We discuss this further below.

What steps can landowners and employers take to manage risk?

Farming is a complex working environment and, given the risks posed by large machinery, operational decision-making on farms should place far greater emphasis on the health and safety of farmers and farm workers.

Farmers should not be lulled into a false sense of security or complacency, nor should they adopt an “it won’t happen to me” mentality. There are relatively simple actions they can take to reduce the risk of injury:

Switch off the power to vehicles/machinery before carrying out repairs
Keep workers at a safe distance from moving vehicles
Ensure workers are kept at a safe distance during loading/unloading operations
Regularly maintain farm structures and land
Use safe and appropriate equipment when working at height
Keep cows/calves away from fields with public footpaths

Other such animal-based considerations include:

Separate animals from people, including the use of permanent or temporary fencing
Assess the temperament of cattle (if the animal has shown signs of aggression, it should not be in a field that has public access)
Display signage identifying what animals are kept within a particular field

Plainly, the emphasis must be on the effective management of risk. There are also implications for insurance cover where risk has not been managed effectively which may affect cover.

Our Health and Safety team can provide comprehensive advice on risk assessments and the prevention of incidents in the workplace. We can also offer guidance on investigations and prosecutions.

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