For a lot of us common sense kicks in and we ask why these guidelines are even necessary? And the answer to that is this – it’s called ‘the stack-of-baked-beans-in-a-supermarket syndrome’...

The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has ruled that workers who are sick during annual leave should be allowed to take their holidays again even if it means allowing the days off to be carried over to the following year.

Every year stable fires take the lives of people and horses, not to mention causing millions of pounds worth of damage. Stables by nature are a serious risk in terms of fire, how safe is yours?

The Ladder Exchange Initiative is simple; if you have a ladder which is bent, broken or battered you can part exchange it for a new one at any one of our partner outlets who are offering discounts on the sales of all ladders at very competitive rates. It also provides dutyholders with an opportunity to review pre-use checks, training, supervision and other arrangements for ladder work.

Mr Harold Lee, 75, was moving 100 cows from Robins Farm in Burtle, Somerset, with his son Richard when a fire engine answering a 999 call approached them.

A fruit farmer has been fined after a berry picker was killed by an 11,000 volt shock from an overhead cable.

Polish worker Gerard Faltynowski, 26, died when he struck the cable with part of a polytunnel at Mains Field, Blairgowrie, in July 2006.

Farmer Peter Thomson had been warned about the danger just two weeks before the accident, but took no action. Thomson was fined £1,800, while the company, Thomas Thomson (Blairgowrie) Ltd, was fined £9,000.

The head gamekeeper of a country estate faces the possibility of losing his home next month after a work accident that has cost him his job and his health.

Last week the Birkbeck family, which has owned the 9,000-acre Westacre Estate in Norfolk for more than a century, was fined £5,000 with £3,000 costs for the accident that has left Christopher Nudds unable to work.

A significant part of the risk on farms is from use of large powerful machinery. In the hands of younger and less experienced people the risk is increased. With the busiest time of year upon us its worth thinking about how to reduce risks and the potential for incidents and accidents. Its easy to assume that people have the knowledge and experience required to operate safely. Students and seasonal staff face higher risks due to inexperience and sometimes lower understanding of your health and safety requirements. We recommend all staff are inducted and trained to operate safely but you might want to consider and discuss some of the following issues to further improve safety awareness and risk management before harvest operations commence.

Agriculture has one of the highest fatal accident rates of all industries in the UK. As farms are homes as well as workplaces children are often present and every year they are seriously hurt and even killed.

Gamekeeper, Christopher Mulqueeney, who sued billionaire estate owner Sheikh Maher al-Tajir for £10,000 over claims he had been left with impaired hearing after working on the estate, agreed an undisclosed out-of-court settlement on the 21st of June.