Farm Safety Week 2026: It’s about people

New figures released today show that farming continues to have the poorest safety record of any occupation in the UK & Ireland.

As Farm Safety Week returns for the 14th year, the Farm Safety Foundation (Yellow Wellies) is calling on the agricultural industry to shine a light on an often‑overlooked reality: while fatalities rightly demand attention, serious injuries on farms are leaving thousands of lives permanently changed every year.

Led and funded by the Farm Safety Foundation, this year’s Farm Safety Week campaign will focus on the long‑term, life‑changing consequences of serious injuries – injuries that farmers, workers and families must live with long after the headlines fade.

HSE data shows farming remains the industry with the poorest safety record with high levels of both fatal and life‑changing injuries – 22 workers lost their lives on farms in England, Scotland and Wales in 2025/26.

The figures also reveal that workers in agriculture, forestry and fishing are around seven times more likely to be killed at work than those in construction and 21 times more likely than the all‑industry average.

While this year the sector has recorded one of the highest numbers of fatalities in over a decade, thousands more farm workers are suffering injuries and ill health that fundamentally alter their ability to work, live independently and enjoy family life.

The campaign also comes as the UK is experiencing its third official heatwave of the year. Farm Safety Foundation (Yellow Wellies) is warning that the current heatwave could increase the risk of serious and fatal incidents in an industry that already has the poorest safety record of any occupation in the UK.

Latest figures show around 9,000 workers in the sector are suffering from work-related ill health, with 67% linked to musculoskeletal disorders, while an estimated 8,000 non-fatal workplace injuries have occurred over the last five years.

According to NFU Mutual, the UK’s leading rural insurer, farm accident claims fell marginally from 894 in 2024/25 to 868 in 2025/26. While modest, the decline suggests that sustained safety training and awareness campaigns may be beginning to take effect.

Notably, there has been a shift among younger workers: those under 40 accounted for 20% of claims in 2025/26, down from 23% the previous year.

Yet statistics tell only part of the story. Behind every statistic is a person, and often a family, dealing with the aftermath of an incident that does not have to be fatal to be devastating.

There is a widely shared belief in farm safety circles that many farmers fear a life‑changing injury more than death.

A new survey of farmers and agricultural workers carried out by the Farm Safety Foundation during May-June 2026 revealed that the biggest fear on UK farms may not be dying in an accident but surviving one with a life-changing injury.

The survey, released for day one of this year’s Farm Safety Week sampled 408 farming respondents across the UK.

Nearly half of those surveyed aged under 40 (49.7%) said that if they were to have a farm accident, they were more worried about ending up with a disability, compared with 36.6% who said they were more worried about dying.

Older respondents showed a similar pattern, with 51.7% concerned about disability compared to 31.4% worried about death.

This suggests that while farmers are aware of the risks they take on farm, there remains a lack of emotional connection to the potential consequences which means serious injury or death is often not fully considered in their day‑to‑day decision making.

Stephanie Berkeley, manager of the Farm Safety Foundation, said: “When we talk about farm safety, fatalities understandably dominate the conversation, but serious injuries can be just as life‑changing. The reality is that there is no such things as a papercut on a farm and the margin between a near miss, a serious injury and a fatal incident is often frighteningly small.

“A fall from height, an encounter with machinery, a vehicle incident – these don’t always result in death, but they can leave someone living with chronic pain, reduced mobility, disability or an inability to continue working. That impact doesn’t stop with the individual; it affects the family, the farm business and the community as a whole.”

Particularly at the moment, the added stress of heatwave conditions are causing further challenges. Workers receive around five to ten times more annual sun exposure than people who work indoors.

Working in agriculture is also one of the highest-risk occupations for deaths linked to sun exposure. While construction workers record the highest number of fatalities, agriculture is second and accounts for 23% of these deaths – around one farm worker every month dies from skin cancer due to sun exposure.

During periods of extreme heat, the risks extend beyond sunburn. Dehydration, heat stress, fatigue and poor concentration can all increase the likelihood of mistakes around vehicles, livestock, machinery and working at height. These are the same hazards that already dominate the sector’s serious and fatal injury record.

With this in mind, the Farm Safety Foundation is urging those working outdoors this week to take simple but potentially life-saving steps:

• Keep a top on when working;
• Wear a hat with a brim or flap to protect the ears and back of the neck;
• Stay in the shade whenever possible, especially during breaks and at lunchtime;
• Use high-factor sunscreen of at least SPF30 on exposed skin;
• Drink plenty of water – little and often and avoid alcohol;
• Take sufficient breaks and watch for signs of fatigue, stress and poor mental health;
• Check skin regularly for unusual moles or spots and speak to a doctor about anything changing in shape, size or colour or anything itching or bleeding;
• Keep machinery clean and well-maintained during harvest;
• Be alert to dust build-up, overheating parts and fire risks; and
• Make sure fire extinguishers are accessible and in working order.

Ms Berkeley added: “If we are really serious about making our farms safer, we must broaden the conversation. We must take injuries just as seriously as fatalities and recognise that preventing harm, not just death has to be our goal.

“And we must bring the people behind the statistics into the open, not to alarm, but to connect. Because connection is what changes behaviour.”

Farm Safety Week 2026 will challenge the long-standing misconception that only fatal injuries matter. Across the week, the charity will work with farmers, families, industry bodies and the wider rural community to encourage reflection, conversation, education and most importantly action.