The Farm Safety Foundation (Yellow Wellies) is urging the agricultural industry to look beyond fatalities and recognise the devastating impact of serious injuries as it launches Farm Safety Week 2026.
Now in its 14th year, the annual campaign is focusing on the people behind the statistics, highlighting how non-fatal incidents can leave workers with lifelong disabilities, chronic pain and lasting consequences for families and farm businesses.
Despite ongoing awareness efforts, agriculture continues to have the UK's poorest workplace safety record. According to the latest Health and Safety Executive (HSE) figures, 22 workers lost their lives on farms across England, Scotland and Wales during 2025/26. 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 fatalities remain a major concern, thousands more workers continue to experience life-changing injuries and ill health. Around 9,000 people in the sector are currently living with work-related ill health, with musculoskeletal disorders accounting for 67% of cases, while an estimated 8,000 non-fatal workplace injuries have occurred over the past five years.
Research commissioned by the Farm Safety Foundation suggests many farmers fear surviving a serious accident more than being killed. A survey of 408 farmers and agricultural workers found that almost half (49.7%) of respondents under 40 said they were more worried about living with a disability following a farm accident than dying, while 51.7% of older respondents shared the same concern.
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 thing as a papercut on a farm and the margin between a near miss, a serious injury and a fatal incident is often frighteningly small."
She added: "A fall from height, an encounter with machinery or a vehicle incident may not 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."
The campaign coincides with the UK's third official heatwave of the year, prompting additional warnings about the increased risks posed by high temperatures. Dehydration, fatigue, heat stress and reduced concentration can all increase the likelihood of incidents involving machinery, vehicles, livestock and working at height. Agriculture is also one of the occupations most affected by prolonged sun exposure, with around one farm worker each month dying from skin cancer linked to outdoor working.
NFU Mutual reported a slight fall in farm accident claims, from 894 in 2024/25 to 868 in 2025/26, suggesting sustained safety initiatives may be beginning to have an impact. Claims involving workers under 40 also declined from 23% to 20% over the same period.
Berkeley said: "If we are really serious about making our farms safer, we must take injuries just as seriously as fatalities and recognise that preventing harm – not just death – has to be our goal. We must bring the people behind the statistics into the open, because connection is what changes behaviour."
