One farm worker dies every week, Unite says enough is
enough
27 April 2009
To commemorate Workers Memorial Day tomorrow (Tuesday) Unite is
saying enough is enough as every week in the UK a farm worker is
killed from injuries received at work making it the most dangerous
place to work in Britain.
8 out of 100,000 farmers and farm workers are killed each year
on farms, over twice the rate of construction workers. To make
matters worse since 2003/04 the number of prosecutions has fallen
two thirds of the prosecutions then, the greatest fall of any
sector and with the lowest average fine too.
Unite National Officer, Chris Kaufman, said: “We urge workers to
take a moment to think about those who have lost their lives
through their work, and to think what you can do to protect
yourself and your work colleagues from harm.
“Part of the reason for the appalling rate is that a large
proportion of farm workers are elderly, a quarter over 65 with an
average working age of nearly 60. The industry urgently needs a
system of roving health and safety representatives checking out
physical and chemical hazards before they become industrial
illness, injuries and deaths.
“Also essential is a properly resourced Health and Safety
Executive with a dedicated team of agricultural inspectors, big
enough to enforce the law.”
Workers’ Memorial Day is an opportunity to remember those
workers who have lost their lives making a living and extend a
supporting hand to their families, while ensuring that unions and
employers work together to secure the safety of the UK
workforce.
In addition to the thousands of adults killed at work, in the
last ten years 45 children have been killed on farms. There must be
adequate childcare in rural areas and an appreciation that farms
are places of work.
ENDS
For further information Chris Kaufman on 07976 842307 or Ashraf
Choudhury in the Unite press office on 020 7420 8914 or 07980
224761.
Unite for Jobs
On 16th May 2009, Unite will hold a march through Birmingham. This
will be the centrepiece of the 'Unite for Jobs' campaign. The March
for Jobs will spotlight the need for urgent assistance to defend
jobs.
For information on the march, please visit: http://action.unitetheunion.org
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