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Farm Health & Safety, written for your farm

Be sure your people are safe, with bespoke risk assessments, regular farm visits and training

Get a quote for your farm

What our farm Health & Safety service covers

We provide specialist farm Health & Safety consultancy across England and Wales. Our service includes a Health & Safety file written for your farm, four on-farm visits a year, staff training in your yard and a personal adviser you can call direct. Your file covers risk assessments, COSHH, farm maps and site plans, policies, training records, an action plan and permits to work.

Nothing is templated. Everything comes from seeing your fields, buildings and machinery first-hand, and talking to your staff.

If you employ people, paid or unpaid, you have a legal duty to keep them safe, along with visitors, family and the public. With five or more employees, your policy and risk assessments must be written down. Most farms know this. Finding the time and knowing where to start is the hard part. That’s where we come in. So you know you’ve done things right.

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A smarter approach to farm Health & Safety

Our Farm Health & Safety service offers a comprehensive approach that’s tailor-made to your farm and needs.

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A file about your farm

Nothing generic. Your file is built on your buildings, machinery, chemical store and access routes, with photographs of your kit and colour coded maps showing power lines, water shut offs and drainage.
A file about your farm
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One adviser, four times a year

You get the same trusted adviser every visit, with a direct number to call when you need it. To make sure nothing gets missed, each visit starts with a review of the action list from last time.
One adviser, four times a year
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Training your staff engage with

We deliver toolbox talks and inductions delivered in your yard, with your team helping to build the true picture of how things work on your farm and any training gaps that need plugging.
Training your staff engage with
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How it works

 

 

  • We walk your farm. We carry out a full inspection with photographs and comprehensive notes, plus a conversation with you and your staff about how the work is really done.

  • We build your file. Including risk assessments, COSHH, maps, policies and an action plan ranked by priority.

  • We go through your file together, line by line, so you know what’s in it and what to do first.

  • Diversification. Site audits and information packs for lettings, storage, farm shops and holiday units

What’s in your farm Health & Safety file?

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    Bespoke farm risk assessments

    Written for the work that goes on around your farm, with practical suggestions for making each job safer. Not a generic pack with your farm name dropped in.
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    On-farm staff training

    Sessions built around your farm and your farming year, plugging any training gaps and covering the topics that matter to you. We also run inductions for new starters and seasonal workers, including students arriving for the summer.
  • Map & Site plan

    Colour coded farm maps and site plans

    Easy to read plans showing first aid points, fire extinguishers, chemical storage, overhead power lines, mains water and drainage. Crucial in an emergency and useful for anyone new on the farm.
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    Farm COSHH assessments

    An assessment of the chemicals you use and the jobs you use them on, with the controls needed to work with them safely and confidently.
  • Photo Schedule

    Farmyard inspection

    We walk the farm with you, take photographs and make notes. If a PTO guard is missing, the photograph in your file is of your tractor. If a ladder has two rungs missing, it’s your ladder.
  • Actions from Photo Schedule

    Health and Safety action plan and policy

    A clear plan showing what is working and what needs attention, with everything ranked red, amber or green so you know what to deal with first.
  • Training & Matrix

    Staff records and training plan

    A record of who has been trained in what, and where the gaps are.
  • H&S Policy

    Farm policies

    Policies written around how your farm runs and what the law specifically requires of you.
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    Permits to work

    Where they’re needed, a formal system authorising high risk tasks, setting out the conditions and precautions before anyone starts.
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Farm visits timed around your year

Four visits a year are what make the difference between a file and a safer farm. Each visit is agreed in advance and built around what’s happening on the farm, such as lambing, drilling, harvest, students arriving or winter maintenance.

 

What a visit can cover

Who our Health & Safety service suits

Farms and estates with employees, whether permanent, seasonal or family. Agricultural contractors. Mixed enterprise businesses where members of the public, tenants or third parties come onto the farm. Farms with a diversification such as lettings, storage, a farm shop or events.
 
If you’re a sole operator with no staff and no visitors, it’s unlikely you’ll need our full service. Call us to talk through your work and we’ll let you know what’s best for you.

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Why this is worth doing properly

Prioritising farm health and safety is crucial because it protects the well-being of both farmers and their environment. By implementing proper farm safety protocols and equipment, farmers can prevent accidents and reduce the risk of injuries while also ensuring responsible land management.

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    The people on your farm go home safe

    Machinery, livestock, working at height, vehicles and chemicals – the hazards on a farm are known and most incidents are preventable. Getting the controls in place is the whole point of the exercise and gives you the confidence to know you’ve done things right.
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    You know you’ve met your legal duties

    The Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 apply to farms like any other workplace. A current file, recorded risk assessments and evidence of training show you are managing risk rather than ignoring it. Being part way through a plan and able to show it counts for a great deal more than having nothing.
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    Your staff take it seriously

    Health & Safety that arrives as a folder gets ignored. Whereas H&S that involves your team in a toolbox talk on the yard changes how they work. Engaged staff report hazards and follow safe systems because they understand why they exist.
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    You’re ready when someone turns up

    An HSE visit, a farm assurance audit or an insurance review is straightforward when the file is current, the assessments are recorded, the training is logged and the site plans are on the wall. We run pre-inspection audits so nothing is a surprise.
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    It can help with insurance

    Documented risk assessments, training records and a maintained Health and Safety file give your insurer evidence that risk is being managed. That can mean a lower premium and makes a claim easier to defend. Talk to your broker about what they’ll recognise.
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    Health & Safety stops being a chore

    After a year or so, it becomes part of how your farm runs, in the same way as drilling or cultivating. That’s when it starts paying for itself.

Your questions, answered

Want to improve the safety culture on your farm and reduce likelihood of lost hours and claims? See our FAQs.

Do I need a Health & Safety policy on my farm?

If you employ staff, you have duties under the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. If you have five or more employees, your policy must also be written down and your risk assessments must be recorded. With fewer than five employees you still need to manage the risks and have a policy, but it doesn’t have to be written down. We believe writing your policy down is the most sensible option either way, because it’s the evidence you’ve done things right.

What’s included in a farm Health & Safety file?

Farm specific risk assessments, COSHH assessments, colour coded farm maps and site plans, health and safety policies, an action plan ranked by priority, staff training records and, where needed, permits to work for high-risk tasks. Ours also includes photographs taken on your farm.

How often should farm risk assessments be reviewed?

Whenever something changes: new machinery, new buildings, new staff, a new enterprise, or after an incident or near miss. Beyond that, farms should conduct risk assessments at least annually. Our four visits a year mean we’re reviewing your risks ‘in real-time’ as your farm changes rather than once a year in arrears.

How can I reduce my insurance premiums through farm health & safety?

Strong safety protocols, documented risk assessments, consistent staff training, good accident records and a well-maintained Farm Health & Safety File can show insurers you are managing risk, which may lead to lower premiums. 4R supports you to put these in place.

What happens during an HSE farm inspection?

An inspector will look at how you manage risk in practice and ask for evidence. That usually means checking your Health and Safety policy, your risk assessments, training records, machinery maintenance records and evidence that identified problems have been dealt with. We run a pre-inspection audit so you know what will be asked for and what is missing.

Can I use a farm health and safety policy template?

A template gets you a document. It won’t tell you the ladder in the workshop has two rungs missing, that a PTO guard is off, or where your overhead power lines run. An inspector is looking for evidence that you have assessed the risks on your farm, not that you have downloaded a form. If you want to start with a template, start with one. Just be clear about what it does and does not cover you for.

How can I reduce the risk of employee claims on my farm?

Bespoke risk assessments, recorded staff training, clear policies including COSHH, and proper records. The records matter as much as the controls, because they are what shows the duty was met. We build all of it around your farm.

Can farm health and safety reduce my insurance premiums?

It can help. Insurers look for documented risk assessments, consistent staff training, good accident records and a maintained Health & Safety file as evidence that risk is being managed. Ask your broker what they recognise, then tell us and we’ll make sure your file covers it.

How do I get my staff to take health and safety seriously?

Involve them in it. We run toolbox talks and inductions on the yard, and we ask your team what happens on the ground rather than simply telling them what should. Staff who have contributed to a risk assessment follow it. Whereas staff who were handed a folder tend not to.

How much does farm health and safety cost?

It depends on the size of the farm, the number of staff and the enterprises involved. We quote for your farm after we understand it. There are annual payment options but most customers pay monthly by direct debit.

4R Reassurance Blog & News

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Talk to us about your farm!

Contact Us
0345 64 64 314
info@4rreassurance.co.uk