‘Saving lives and livelihoods’ – Welsh farmers urged to attend farm safety awareness workshops to reduce the risks to life and limb/‘Achub bywydau a bywoliaeth’ – annog ffermwyr Cymru i fynychu gweithdai ymwybyddiaeth diogelwch fferm i leihau’r peryglon

In the last ten years, 388 farmers, their family members or farm workers have been killed on British farms and of these, 38 were in Wales. Thousands more have suffered serious injuries which still impact daily and changed lives forever.

The Wales Farm Safety Partnership (WFSP), a collaboration between all the key organisations representing agriculture and allied industries in Wales, is determined to reduce these stubbornly high statistics by persuading farmers of all ages to attend a regional half day workshop on general farm safety.

Part of an ongoing awareness programme, the first two events, which will be held from 1pm to 4pm on May 17 at Coleg Glynllifon in LlandwrogLL54 5DUand on May 18 at Gelli Aur, Coleg Sir Gar SA32 8NJ, will be delivered by Farming Connect. They will each comprise a series of short, practical demonstrations or presentations covering topics including the safe handling of livestock; working safely at heights; operating all-terrain vehicles and farm machinery including lift trucks and tractors, and the handling of dangerous chemicals.

Brian Rees, one of the UK’s most well-respected trainers on farm safety, who chairs the WFSP, says that these are the areas of work where a particularly high incidence of accidents occur.

“If more farmers are taught to recognise the risks by attending one of our workshops, and then take the necessary steps to reduce them, we’ll be making a very positive start on tackling the problem.”

“Every fatality, every injury, every illness is one too many which can have catastrophic, life changing effects for farming families.

“I would urge farmers of all ages to take an afternoon off to attend one of these events, including students and young farmers just starting out in the industry.

“It may just prove a prove a life-saver for some as we’ll be showing you that there are many ways in which you can reduce the risks of accidents and injuries to you, your family and employees or to individuals visiting your farm such as vets, professional advisers or delivery personnel.

“Statistics prove that you are now six times more likely to be killed working on a farm than at a building site, so getting up to speed with all aspects of farm-safety is critically important.

“You are never too young or too old to learn and it could mean the difference between life and death or the loss of your livelihood,” said Mr. Rees.

Eligible farmers registered with Farming Connect can undertake an e-learning module on farm Health & Safety, which is a pre-requisite if you want to apply for machinery handling courses. For further information and to download a leaflet on farm safety, visit www.gov.wales/farmingconnect. Further information on all aspects of farm safety is available at www.hse/gov.uk/agriculture

Booking for a ‘Saving lives and livelihoods’ farm safety awareness event is essential either online at www.gov.wales/farmingconnect or by calling the Farming Connect Service Centre on 08456 000 813.

‘Achub bywydau a bywoliaeth’ – annog ffermwyr Cymru i fynychu gweithdai ymwybyddiaeth diogelwch fferm i leihau’r peryglon

Dros y deng mlynedd diwethaf, mae 388 o ffermwyr, aelodau o’u teuluoedd neu weithwyr fferm wedi cael eu lladd ar ffermydd Prydain, ac o’r rhain, roedd 38 ohonynt yng Nghymru. Mae miloedd mwy wedi dioddef anafiadau difrifol sy’n dal i gael effaith yn ddyddiol ac wedi newid bywydau am byth.

Mae Partneriaeth Diogelwch Fferm Cymru (WFSP), cydweithrediad rhwng pob un o’r sefydliadau allweddol sy’n cynrychioli amaethyddiaeth a diwydiannau cysylltiedig yng Nghymru, yn benderfynol o leihau’r ystadegau syfrdanol yma trwy berswadio ffermwyr o bob oedran i fynychu gweithdy rhanbarthol am hanner diwrnod sy’n ymwneud â diogelwch fferm cyffredinol.

Bydd y digwyddiadau, sy’n rhan o raglen o weithgareddau codi ymwybyddiaeth, yn cael eu cynnal rhwng 1pm a 4pm ar 17 Mai yng Ngholeg Glynllifon, Llandwrog LL54 5DU a 18 Mai yn Gelli Aur, Coleg Sir Gar SA32 8NJ, dan arweiniad Cyswllt Ffermio. Bydd y ddau ddigwyddiad yn cynnwys arddangosiadau neu gyflwyniadau byr, ymarferol yn ymwneud â phynciau gan gynnwys trin da byw’n ddiogel; gweithio’n ddiogel ar uchder; defnyddio cerbydau pob tirwedd a pheiriannau fferm gan gynnwys peiriannau codi a thractorau, ac ymdrin â chemegion peryglus.

Mae Brian Rees, un o hyfforddwyr mwyaf adnabyddus y DU ar gyfer diogelwch fferm, sy’n gadeirydd ar yr EFSP, yn dweud bod y rhain yn feysydd gwaith lle mae nifer fawr o ddamweiniau’n digwydd.

“Os bydd mwy o ffermwyr yn cael eu dysgu i adnabod y peryglon trwy fynychu un o’r gweithdai, ac yna’n gwneud yr hyn sy’n angenrheidiol i’w lleihau, byddwn yn cymryd camau cadarnhaol iawn i fynd i’r afael â’r broblem.”

“Mae pob marwolaeth, pob anaf, a phob afiechyd yn un yn ormod, sy’n gallu cael effaith drychinebus a all newid bywydau teuluoedd ffermio.

“Byddem yn annog ffermwyr o bob oedran i gymryd prynhawn i ffwrdd o’r gwaith i fynychu un o’r digwyddiadau, gan gynnwys myfyrwyr a ffermwyr ifanc sy’n cychwyn ar eu gyrfa yn y diwydiant.

“Gallai achub bywyd rhai, a byddwn yn dangos i chi bod nifer o ffyrdd y gallech leihau’r perygl o ddamweiniau ac anafiadau i chi, eich teulu a’ch gweithwyr, neu i rai sy’n ymweld â’ch fferm, megis milfeddygon, ymgynghorwyr proffesiynol neu rai sy’n cludo deunyddiau.

“Mae ystadegau’n dangos eich bod bellach chwe gwaith yn fwy tebygol o gael eich lladd wrth weithio ar fferm nag ar safle adeiladu, felly mae sicrhau bod gennych wybodaeth am bob elfen o ddiogelwch ar fferm yn hanfodol.

“Nid ydych chi byth yn rhy hen i ddysgu, a gallai olygu’r gwahaniaeth rhwng byw neu farw neu golli eich bywoliaeth,” meddai Mr. Rees.

Gall ffermwyr cymwys sydd wedi cofrestru gyda Cyswllt Ffermio gwblhau modiwl e-ddysgu’n ymwneud ag Iechyd a Diogelwch ar y fferm, sy’n hanfodol os ydych yn dymuno gwneud cais ar gyfer cyrsiau defnyddio peiriannau. Am wybodaeth bellach ac i lawr lwytho taflen wybodaeth ar ddiogelwch fferm, ewch i www.llyw.cymru/cyswlltffermio. Mae gwybodaeth bellach am bob agwedd o ddiogelwch fferm ar gael ar www.hse/gov.uk/agriculture