Our Blog - Health and Safety

• The Countryside Code: Protect the Natural Environment 10 May, 2012
  

  Our Countryside Code series, which started last month with ' Respect Other People This month, we look at the second principal of the Countryside Code for the Public, which is 'Protect the Natural Environment'. It's split into two key points - leaving no trace of your visit and keeping dogs under control - and as with all six principles of...More

• The Countryside Code: Respect other People 19 April, 2012
  

  As a rural insurer, we want everyone to be able to enjoy the countryside we live and work in, and our FarmSafe for Schools The first principal of the Countryside Code for members of the public is simply 'respect other people'. This is split into two key points - consideration of local people and others enjoying the countryside, and leaving gates...More

• Working with electricity on farms 13 April, 2012
  

  In the second of our blog series on health and safety, Philip Wilson looks at the dangers of working with electricity on farms… Statistics tell us that contact with electricity continues to be one of the main causes of death to farmers and agricultural contractors in the UK and that nearly two thirds of these fatalities involve overhead power lines...More

• The UK is a safe place to work - let's keep it that way 05 April, 2012

  In spite of the bad press, health and safety has made the UK one of the safest places in the world to work. This is something to be proud of and is due to many factors; the experience and good practice of the majority of our companies, well written legislation, good sources of advice both from industry, manufacturers, insurance providers, enforcing...More

• An Inspector calls.... 16 March, 2012

  Following on from our awareness-raising initiative "FarmSafe", we have asked Nigel Lyons, Partner and Head of Regulatory Law at Foot Anstey Solicitors Should there be an accident which results in the Police or a Government Agency (such as HSE, EA or Trading Standards) carrying out an investigation, then you will be asked to attend a...More

• Health and safety requirements for farmers and landowners 09 March, 2012
  

  In the first of a new series of blogs as part of our 'FarmSafe' initiative, we take a general look at the health and safety requirements for farmers and landowners and some of the most important considerations they must take when it comes to employing staff….. Firstly, it's worth remembering that the two main pieces of legislation around health and...More

• Free Health & Safety Workshops 10 February, 2012
  

  You are probably well aware that agriculture now has the highest number of fatalities and serious injuries of any industry in the UK. As an insurance company with our roots in farming and an interest in the welfare of rural communities throughout the South West, we take health and safety issues very seriously and would like to encourage the...More

• The dangers of slurry pits 22 December, 2011
  

  The tragic death of a teenager from Cornwall who fell into a slurry pit in his tractor serves as a timely reminder about the very real dangers that are ever present on farms.  Only last month, an inquest ruled that 16-year old Jordan Orriss from Wadebridge suffocated as a result of an accident near Padstow in 2010, when the clutch system on...More

• Insuring yourself against accidents and injuries this winter 15 December, 2011
  

  Winter has arrived, and if this one follows the pattern of recent years, we all need to take extra care as the ground turns icy. Minor accidents such as slips and trips happen all the time, and life carries on as usual - but have you thought about how you and your family might cope if you were to sustain a more serious accident or injury this...More

• Home Safety at Christmas 01 December, 2011
  

  With just over three weeks until Christmas, many of us are starting to prepare our homes for the festive season. Whilst decorating the house can be fun, there are a few things to bear in mind so that your family and home remain safe. David Shepherd at Safety Cornwall Ltd has the following advice: Decorations Christmas trees should not be sprayed...More

• Is your vehicle fit for winter? 24 November, 2011
  

  When the sun is out and it's a calm autumnal day with not a cloud in the sky, it is hard to cast your mind back to the scenes of last winter - one of the coldest on record. At Cornish Mutual, we had over 60 claims totalling more than £153,000 for vehicles damaged as a result of sliding on ice last winter. Winter is the busiest time of year for...More

• Health & Safety in the workplace – we are all responsible 24 October, 2011

  As part of European Health & Safety Week, we have invited Safety Cornwall Ltd Health and safety applies to each and every one of us whilst we are at work, whether we are employers, employees or other workers such as contractors, volunteers, or whatever.  Like it or not, we cannot avoid our responsibilities in health and safety law. ...More