There’s plenty of information on our farm safety pages on NFUonline and through the industry’s Farm Safety Partnership site. You can also find advice on safe working in agriculture on the HSE website, here.
The HSE case involved a 40-year-old, who suffered multiple fractures of his spine and ribs after being hit by two bales on 26 November 2012.
York Crown Court heard he had used a loader vehicle to remove bales for bedding from the seven-metre stack. On the evening of the incident he used the loader to lift a bale at the fourth row, tilting the load so the two bales above would fall backwards onto the stack.
However, the two bales toppled forward, bounced down the arm of the loader and hit him one after the other. The loader itself had no protective cage against falling objects.
"Physically, the accident has totally destroyed me. I am currently the best I will ever be and the doctors have said I could still be paralysed at any time in my life by any kind of impact injury. I am in pain 24/7 and will be on painkillers for the rest of my life,” the injured man told the court.