Accident claims 'require a commonsense approach'RSS Feed
Principles of health and safety work best when they are applied with a commonsense approach, according to an expert.
Judith Donovan, the Health and Safety Executive's (HSE) board member for agriculture, stated in a letter to Farmers Weekly: "We survive and develop by learning how to deal with risk. It's about ensuring it's managed where it can be, not eliminated."
She was making the comments in response to an earlier letter to the publication from a Dr O'Conor, who had expressed reservations about health and safety procedures in the farming sector.
Judith Donovan also pointed out that the HSE's Make the Promise campaign has "struck a chord" with many farmers, with 29,000 having signed up since its launch.
She added that death and serious injury is still a major problem in the agriculture industry, where there is an average of nearly one death every week.
Last month, HSE chair Judith Hackitt told the Manchester Evening News that there appears to be an "alarming" attitude among agricultural workers of "that's just the way it is" in terms of their appreciation of danger at work.
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