ATLAS attended a virtual All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Working at Height meeting on 9 September 2020 which focused on working at height in rural environments. Following the HSE Workplace Fatal Injuries Report earlier this year, agriculture was shown to be the second highest sector for workplace fatalities, following the construction industry, and many of these fatalities resulted from a fall from height. Presentations were delivered by the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) and Unite the Union, expressing their desire for change in the industry with regards to training and ensuring only skilled contractors carry out specialist works. The overall consensus was that attitudes to health and safety in the sector are likely to change with a new generation of workers coming through, who will be trained and educated to higher health and safety standards. To raise awareness of the work that the APPG on Working at Height is doing, IOSH Magazine has published an article called ‘Why Fatal Falls are Avoidable’ which includes comments from ATLAS’ Immediate Past President, Jason Harfield, on the impact of COVID-19. Minutes from the meeting can be found here.
