Preventing accidents caused by mud on the roads
Pat Phillips, Claims Technician for South West insurer Cornish Mutual, reflects on the risks of increased wet weather and mud on roads.
Every autumn, there is an increase in motor accidents as a result of runoff from fields or farm vehicles carrying mud on their tyres. If mud is left to build up, it can become engrained in the road surface and become dangerously slippery, particularly for motorcyclists.
If an accident is caused by a landowner or farmer failing to clean up mud from their field, even with the appropriate public liability insurance, they could face criminal prosecution. To help prevent accidents and fulfil their legal obligations, we remind our Members to take preventative steps:
- If you are planning activity that is likely to result in mud going on to the roads, put up the recommended signage to warn fellow road users
- Drive farm vehicles at lower speeds to reduce the spread of mud
- Check the roads periodically and schedule a full clean-up at the end of the day
- Some farmers use contour ploughing to reduce runoff. If the land is too hilly, leaving a border or ditch around a field of crops can be a good alternative
- If you employ contractors to carry out clean-ups, make sure you are confident they will do a good job as the ultimate responsibility falls to you as the landowner
- Keep good records of which fields you are using and when you have carried out any clean-ups
Staying safe when working alone on farm
Working alone is not uncommon on a farm and although not against the law, it does put you and your team at higher risk of accidents with more severe consequences. Both employers and staff are responsible for safety; employers for assessing and addressing risk, employees for following the procedures put in place to keep them and their colleagues safe.
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Staying safe at harvest
Harvest is a busy time of year. As workload and working hours increase, everyone is under more time pressure and staying aware of risks can slip. Cornish Mutual Loss Prevention Advisor Evie Gubb offers some timely advice and reminders to keep farm teams safe.
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TB Vaccination: Would it make South West farming more resilient?
TB was so rare in 1984 when vet Ralph Drouin came across his first case, he didn’t know what it was whereas farmer Max Sealy has never known farming without it. His farm has been effectively ‘shutdown’ for 20 years.
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Why women are needed if farming is to survive
Professor Sally Shortall has studied farming families around the world and her view remains the same. Women are vital for successful farming businesses but continue to be an under-valued resource.
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Struck by the lack of women working alongside her in the meat industry, Laura Ryan set up Meat Business Women in 2015. It is now a global phenomenon.
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How storytelling helps build industry resilience
Featuring in an episode of our Farming Focus podcast, BBC journalist Anna Jones and communications specialist Kendra Hall explain why storytelling and public relations is vital to the industry’s future.
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Sustainable self-sufficiency for Cornish cheesemakers
From his cheese production unit on the family farm, Giel Spierings can see the grass growing to feed the cows producing the milk he turns into Cornish Gouda; zero food miles at its finest.
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Leading the way in sustainable vegetable production
Farming 8,000 acres across Cornwall while employing 587 members of staff producing field-scale vegetables 365 days of the year is impressive in itself. Couple this with being sector leaders in sustainable practices and it clear to see Riviera Produce is an extraordinary business.
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