FARMERS and crofters across the country are being encouraged to carry out their essential Autumn maintenance safely.

The Farm Safety Partnership Scotland this week stressed the simple message that machines should be switched off and secured before a spanner is turned.

Last year alone there were 33 deaths in the agricultural industry in Great Britain, with five in Scotland, with the most common causes of death and injury continuing to be falls, transport, animals and equipment.

Scotland's grim statistics last year included a 49-year-old farm worker who was crushed beneath a tractor trailer as he carried out repairs. More recently a father-of-three died after becoming trapped in a baler.

The FSP message for anyone carrying out maintenance is to practice the ‘safe stop’ procedure – engage handbrake, controls in neutral, switch off engine (or turn off power) and remove key (or lock-off power supply). This practice should be carried out before leaving the driver’s seat/operating position; when anyone approaches; before anyone carries out maintenance, adjustments or deals with a blockage.

NFU Scotland chief executive Scott Walker commented: “Far too often we hear about people being injured or killed on farms. Whilst they are fantastic places to live and work they can also be dangerous places. It is not just about your safety, but about the safety of those who work, live or visit your farm or croft.

"Whilst many may think we are teaching them how to suck eggs, farming continues to be the most dangerous occupation in Great Britain and we must stop this being the case," said Mr Walker. “We need people to start making a conscious decision about their safety and that of those working and living on your farm or croft.

“There are standard measures we would encourage anyone to make when carrying out maintenance with machines, principally the ‘safe stop’ procedure. In addition to this, you should ensure workers are properly trained, safe working practices are devised and executed and all movement has stopped before removing any guards."

Robert Hamilton, of Robert Hamilton Agricultural Contractors in Strathaven, Lanarkshire, knows all too well how careful you need to be when doing maintenance after losing his hand to a farm machine.

Robert, who is married with two young children, said: “The rear discharge spreader had received maintenance and after checking the running of the machine in the afternoon, I noticed a grease pipe on auto lube was leaking. The floor chain was running very slowly within the rear discharge spreader on a Terra-gator.

“I wiped grease off the pipe next to the floor slat. About 10 minutes later I did exactly the same thing again. However, this time my hand got trapped in the floor slat and the front roller. I knew that the only way I could survive this was for my hand to come off between the forearm and wrist. It felt like slow motion.”

As a result of the accident Robert and his employees are more aware of health and safety: “I don’t feel I was ignorant to health and safety. At the time the machine was having maintenance done and the guard was not on. I have done this kind of work for years, for as long as I can remember, from early teens. I was lucky as it could have been a lot worse.”