Five sheep farmers have benefitted from the latest National Sheep Association (NSA) membership giveaway to promote farm safety.
The NSA said the past year has seen several fatalities due to ATV accidents, tragedies that may have been preventable if protective helmets were worn.
The association recently gave members a chance to win a free helmet as part of its work to encourage improved safety when using all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), often a common piece of farm machinery for sheep farmers.
To have a chance to receive the prize, NSA members were invited to explain what steps individuals can take to make sheep farming safer.
One of the successful applicants, Joe Black from Shropshire, said farmers need to pay attention to fatality statistics.
“About 50% of the fatalities in this current year have been due to livestock, and although this probably relates to cattle and public access, we should all be learning lessons from these fatalities,” Black said.
“Engaging with children at an early age is important, teaching them about the industry without putting them in danger and explaining to them why we do things the way we do so that we are safe.
“Also, when considering machinery purchases, we should all be considering safety features as a key factor as well as considering retro-fit safety features.”
Another winner of the giveaway, Joshua Bevan of Gloucestershire, said the importance of wearing helmets needs to be highlighted.
“Individuals and the wider industry need to start taking extra precautions with wider use of helmets and other appropriate PPE,” he said.
“Communication also needs to be improved when working alone, ensuring someone knows where you are and use of apps that can help people find you if you need help etc are important.”
