Farming’s safety record will be tackled by the organisers of the upcoming Midlands Machinery Show on November 16-17, with practical emergency first aid demonstrations on each day of the event.
“It’s high time that we do more as an industry to tackle our serious health and safety issues,” said show organiser Elizabeth Halsall.
“That’s why we’re hosting practical first aid demonstrations alongside a drop-in nurse clinic offering bood pressure and health checks, and mental health and other support from the Farming Community Network.”
The practical demos at the Midlands Machinery Show will be staged by safety and first aid specialist Singleton Training Services and the National Association of Agricultural Contractors (NAAC).
NAAC chairman James Bannister has a personal reason for supporting the initiative, having lost his left arm in a farm incident.
“It was 10:30a.m on Thursday, August 6, 1998 and I remember standing alongside the potato harvester I was about to clean down between fields, chatting with a trailer driver workmate,” he said.
“My next memory is being dragged into the machine by the left arm, fighting for my life. As the elevator was just biting into my neck, the other driver stopped my tractor.
“Despite massive blood loss, I remained conscious throughout. It took more than two hours for fire and rescue, and ambulance crews to get me out, with a surgeon alongside ready to amputate.
“I’d been operating that harvester for five years and knew full well what I should do before cleaning down. But I’d become blasé, complacent, taking my own safety for granted.”
When workplace injuries do occur, they don’t come with an advance warning, emphasised Singleton Training Services principal Nigel Singleton.
“The better trained and prepared you are, the less likely you are to be injured yourself, and the more capable you’ll be if needed to help an injured colleague.”
The live reconstructions will be based on emergency service procedures to illustrate the optimum order of priority for someone who discovers a seriously injured colleague:
- First, call 999;
- Before approaching the casualty, check the area carefully for your own safety;
- If a tractor is involved, apply the hand brake and stop the engine;
- Only then, check the casualty for a response, first verbally then a gentle shoulder nudge;
- If still no response, check for breathing with the back of your hand close to their nose and mouth, then palm of hand gently just below ribcage;
- Call 999 again, update call taker, follow their advice.
