Thousands of health and safety incidents on UK farms may be slipping under the radar every year, with new IOSH research revealing a culture of underreporting that is obscuring the true scale of workplace injuries across the sector.

During Farm Safety Week (20-24 July), IOSH is warning that many accidents and near misses never reach official reporting systems, despite agriculture remaining one of the UK’s most dangerous industries. The organisation says greater transparency and learning from incidents will be critical to reducing the industry’s stubbornly high rates of serious injury and death.

A survey of 250 farmers across the UK found almost one-third (30 per cent) are discouraged from reporting health and safety incidents because of concerns about inspections, enforcement action or legal consequences. More than a third (34 per cent) said minor injuries and near misses are often not considered serious enough to report.

Latest figures from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) show agriculture continues to have the highest fatal injury rate of any industry sector in Great Britain. There were 22 fatalities in the agriculture, forestry and fishing sector last year.

Concerns about the health and safety record in the sector led IOSH President Richard Bate to make it one of the themes for his year in office. He said: “Farming continues to bear more than its fair share of risk, and addressing this requires honesty and action.

“This issue is deeply personal to me. I grew up in a farming community in North Wales, with family ties to the land stretching back generations. As an operational paramedic and safety professional, I’ve seen first-hand how tragedies affect rural communities – and I’ve also seen how pressures on farmers can lead to compromises in safety.”

“Those pressures are growing. Financial uncertainty, long hours and isolation are taking a toll, and we must recognise that mental health and physical safety are closely linked. Fatigue, stress and distraction increase risk exponentially.”

The IOSH survey also revealed the extent to which risk-taking remains commonplace in the sector. Four in five farmers (81 per cent) said they personally know someone who has been seriously injured or killed in a farming-related incident. A similar proportion believe attitudes towards health and safety on farms have changed very little over time.

Nearly four in five respondents (79 per cent) admitted they have skipped safety measures such as wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) to complete a task more quickly, while 82 per cent acknowledged taking shortcuts that may have increased health and safety risks.

The findings also point to the growing importance of mental wellbeing in farm safety. More than eight in ten farmers aged over 30 (82 per cent) said factors such as stress, fatigue and isolation can affect how safely they work.

As part of Farm Safety Week, IOSH is encouraging farmers, farm workers and agricultural businesses to challenge the belief that accidents are inevitable. The organisation is calling for improved reporting of injuries and near misses, stronger safety leadership and a culture that prioritises learning and prevention.

Richard added: “Every product we rely on has a human story behind it. We must ensure that the story is never one of preventable harm. This Farm Safety Week, I’m asking everyone connected to agriculture to play their part. I’m asking them to challenge complacency, be brave, speak up and act.

“Together, we can make farming a safer and healthier profession – and finally begin to break this tragic cycle.”