How to Write a Health and Safety Policy for a Farm
A practical guide to the ten sections every farm health and safety policy must cover — with example statements, legal references and a complete template to adapt and use.
Published 20 May 2026 · 12 min read
Why farm health and safety cannot be ignored
~30
Fatal injuries to farm workers per year in Great Britain (HSE 2023/24)
20×
More likely to be fatally injured working in agriculture than the all-industry average
~300
Non-fatal serious injuries to farm workers reported annually — the real figure is much higher
£5m+
Maximum fine available to HSE for serious health and safety breaches
Agriculture is consistently one of the most dangerous industries in the UK. A farmer is approximately twenty times more likely to be fatally injured at work than the average across all industries. Yet farm health and safety management is still treated as paperwork by many operations — a document produced for a Red Tractor inspection and filed away until the next one.
A health and safety policy does not prevent accidents by existing. It prevents accidents through the thinking and action that producing and following it requires. A farmer who has written a risk assessment for cattle handling has thought about where the escape route is. A farmer who has written a COSHH assessment for slurry agitation knows to ventilate first. The policy is the evidence; the thinking is the protection.
Legal requirement for farms with 5+ employees
Under Section 2(3) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, any employer with five or more employees must have a written health and safety policy. Failure to have one is a criminal offence. For farms with fewer than five employees a written policy is not legally required but is strongly recommended — HSE inspectors and farm assurance auditors expect evidence of health and safety management regardless of farm size. All self-employed farmers still have duties under the HSWA 1974.
Ten Sections Your Farm Health & Safety Policy Must Cover
A farm health and safety policy has three main parts required by law: the statement of intent, the organisation (who is responsible for what), and the arrangements (how you manage specific risks). The ten sections below cover all three parts in a format an HSE inspector or farm assurance auditor will recognise.
Section 1
Statement of Intent
The statement of intent is the opening page of your policy — a signed commitment from the business owner or directors that sets the tone for everything that follows. It must be signed, dated and displayed prominently in the workplace. For farms with five or more employees it must be in writing. For smaller farms it is still strongly recommended.
Must include
- ✓A commitment to ensure the health, safety and welfare of all employees, contractors, visitors and members of the public affected by your activities
- ✓A commitment to comply with all relevant health and safety legislation
- ✓A commitment to consult with employees on health and safety matters
- ✓Signature of the most senior person in the business (farmer, director or owner)
- ✓Date and review date
Example wording
"[Farm Name] is committed to ensuring, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare of all employees, contractors, and visitors to the farm. We will identify and control risks from all our work activities, provide adequate training and supervision, and review this policy annually or whenever significant changes occur to our operation. Signed: [Name], [Role]. Date: [Date]. Review date: [Date + 1 year]."
Section 2
Responsibilities
Every person in the business needs to know their health and safety responsibilities. This section names who is responsible for what — the employer, managers, supervisors and individual employees all have legal duties. On a small farm this section may be simple; on a larger operation with multiple staff it needs to be more detailed.
Must include
- ✓Overall responsibility rests with the owner/farmer/directors — named individually
- ✓Day-to-day responsibility delegated to a named farm manager or senior worker
- ✓Employee responsibilities — co-operate with management, take care of their own safety, not interfere with safety equipment
- ✓Contractor responsibilities — follow farm rules, provide their own risk assessments where required
- ✓A clear reporting line for safety concerns
Example wording
For a small family farm: "Overall responsibility for health and safety rests with [Farmer Name] as farm owner. Day-to-day implementation is delegated to [Farm Manager Name]. All employees are responsible for co-operating with safety procedures, taking reasonable care for their own safety and that of others, and reporting any concerns or hazards to [Farmer Name] immediately."
Section 3
Risk Assessment
Farming is consistently one of the most dangerous industries in the UK. HSE statistics show agriculture accounts for around 20 times more fatal injuries per worker than the average across all industries. Risk assessment is the process of identifying what could cause harm on your farm and deciding whether existing controls are adequate. Written risk assessments are legally required for all farms with five or more employees; best practice for all farms.
Must include
- ✓A process for identifying hazards across all farm activities — machinery operation, livestock handling, working at height, slurry management, chemical use
- ✓Assessment of who might be harmed and how (employees, family members, contractors, visitors, members of the public)
- ✓Existing controls in place and whether they are adequate
- ✓Any additional actions required to reduce risk to an acceptable level
- ✓Named person responsible for undertaking and reviewing risk assessments
- ✓Commitment to review after any accident, near miss, or significant change in work activity
Farm risk assessments must cover: tractor and machinery operation, livestock handling (cattle, sheep, pigs each present different risks), working at height (roofs, grain stores, silage clamps), slurry and confined spaces, agro-chemical handling and storage, hand-arm and whole-body vibration, manual handling, and lone working. Each of these areas has specific HSE guidance.
Section 4
Safe Plant & Equipment
Machinery is the biggest single cause of fatal accidents on UK farms. Tractors, PTOs, grain augers, balers and front loaders account for a disproportionate number of deaths and serious injuries. Your policy must address how machinery is maintained, inspected and operated safely.
Must include
- ✓A maintenance schedule for all plant and equipment — tractors, implements, electrical systems, generators
- ✓Mandatory pre-use checks — brakes, lights, guards, hydraulics
- ✓PTO shaft guarding — all shafts must have guards in place before use, no exceptions
- ✓Statutory inspection requirements — thorough examination of lifting equipment every 6 or 12 months under LOLER
- ✓Named person responsible for organising maintenance and inspections
- ✓Process for taking defective equipment out of service until repaired
- ✓Record keeping for all inspections, maintenance and defect reports
PTO-related accidents are among the most serious on farms. Your policy must state explicitly that all PTO shafts will be guarded at all times during operation, and that guards will be inspected regularly. Unfenced PTOs have caused deaths and amputations — there is no acceptable reason to operate without guards in place.
Section 5
Livestock Handling
Cattle account for around a quarter of all agricultural fatalities in the UK. Cows with calves, bulls and freshly housed animals present the highest risk. Sheep, pigs and horses also cause significant injuries. Livestock handling procedures need to be explicit in your policy — not assumed.
Must include
- ✓Safe handling facilities — adequate pens, races, crushes and restraint equipment for each species
- ✓Bull management — no lone working with bulls, bull kept separate from public areas, warning signs displayed
- ✓Cows with calves — specific procedure for handling and the heightened vigilance required
- ✓Minimum of two people present when handling large livestock where practicable
- ✓Risk assessment for moving livestock on public roads
- ✓Visitor and contractor rules for entering livestock areas
Example wording
"No employee or contractor will enter a field or pen containing a bull alone. A second person must be present and aware at all times. Cows with calves at foot must be treated as a significantly elevated risk — extra caution, escape routes identified before entry, no approach to calves without clear view of the cow. All visitors to livestock areas must be briefed on livestock behaviour before entry."
Section 6
Hazardous Substances (COSHH)
Farms use a wide range of hazardous substances — pesticides, veterinary medicines, fuel, lubricants, cleaning chemicals, silage additives, slurry gases (hydrogen sulphide, methane, carbon dioxide, ammonia). COSHH requires an assessment of the risks from each substance and controls to eliminate or reduce exposure.
Must include
- ✓An inventory of all hazardous substances used or generated on the farm
- ✓COSHH assessments for each substance — available from product suppliers (Safety Data Sheets)
- ✓Secure, bunded, locked storage for pesticides and other agro-chemicals
- ✓PPE requirements for each substance — gloves, respirator, eye protection
- ✓Slurry gas warning — specific COSHH assessment for slurry agitation and confined space entry
- ✓Disposal of empty containers and waste chemicals through approved routes
Slurry gas is an acute risk on livestock farms. Hydrogen sulphide released during slurry agitation can reach lethal concentrations in seconds. Your COSHH assessment and policy must state: never agitate slurry in an enclosed space, always ventilate for at least 30 minutes before and during agitation, never enter a slurry pit alone or without breathing apparatus, and evacuate livestock housing during agitation. Multiple fatalities occur on UK farms from slurry gas each year.
Section 7
Accidents, First Aid & RIDDOR
When an accident happens, your response in the immediate aftermath matters enormously — for the injured person and for the legal and insurance implications. Your policy must address first aid provision, accident recording and the legal duty to report certain accidents and dangerous occurrences to the HSE under RIDDOR.
Must include
- ✓First aid kit locations — in tractors, farm office, workshop and any remote working areas
- ✓Named first aiders and their certificate expiry dates
- ✓Accident book — all accidents recorded, book kept securely
- ✓RIDDOR reporting — fatalities, specified injuries, over-7-day incapacitation, dangerous occurrences must be reported to HSE within defined timescales
- ✓Accident investigation procedure — who investigates, what is recorded, how recurrence is prevented
- ✓Emergency contact numbers displayed at key points on the farm
RIDDOR reporting is a legal requirement. Reportable events include: deaths, specified injuries (fractures, amputations, crush injuries, loss of consciousness), any injury keeping a worker off work for more than 7 consecutive days, and dangerous occurrences (structural collapse, accidental release of biological agents, explosion). Report online at riddor.hse.gov.uk or by phone. Failure to report is a criminal offence.
Section 8
Emergency Procedures & Fire
Farm fires cause significant property losses and occasionally fatalities every year — hay and straw stores, combine harvesters and farm buildings are all high risk. Your policy must set out what to do in an emergency including fire evacuation, and the preventive measures in place to reduce risk.
Must include
- ✓Fire risk assessment for all buildings — ignition sources, fuel sources, means of escape
- ✓Fire extinguisher locations, types and annual service schedule
- ✓Assembly point — clearly marked and known to all staff and visitors
- ✓Evacuation procedure — who calls 999, who accounts for all persons, who opens gates for emergency vehicles
- ✓Hot works permit — required for any welding, cutting or grinding near combustible materials
- ✓No smoking policy on farm — displayed and enforced
- ✓Emergency contacts displayed — 999, electricity network operator, gas emergency
Example wording
"In the event of fire: call 999 immediately, raise the alarm, evacuate all persons to the assembly point at [location], do not re-enter buildings. The fire assembly point is [location]. [Named person] is responsible for accounting for all persons. Gates to [location] must be opened to allow emergency vehicle access. Do not attempt to fight a fire unless it is very small and there is no risk to personal safety."
Section 9
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
PPE is the last line of defence — it protects the worker when a hazard cannot be eliminated or controlled by other means. The employer must provide appropriate PPE free of charge, ensure it fits, train workers to use it correctly, and maintain it in good condition.
Must include
- ✓PPE required for each task or area — linked to risk assessments and COSHH assessments
- ✓Standard PPE on the farm — safety boots, high-visibility vest, gloves (chemical resistant, cut resistant, general), eye protection, hearing protection
- ✓Chainsaw PPE — mandatory: chainsaw helmet, visor, ear defenders, cut-resistant gloves, chainsaw trousers/chaps, chainsaw boots
- ✓Pesticide PPE — as specified on product label, typically full face protection, chemical resistant gloves, coveralls
- ✓Storage and maintenance of PPE
- ✓Employee responsibility to wear, store and report damage
Section 10
Training, Review & Monitoring
A health and safety policy that is written and filed away provides no protection. The final section of your policy must commit to keeping it alive — through training, monitoring, annual review, and learning from incidents. The HSE will look for evidence of active management, not just a document.
Must include
- ✓Induction training for all new employees and contractors — farm layout, specific hazards, emergency procedures
- ✓Job-specific training records — tractor operation, chainsaw use, pesticide application, livestock handling
- ✓Annual policy review — date, who conducted it, what changed
- ✓Regular safety inspections of the farm — frequency, who conducts, record of findings and actions
- ✓Toolbox talks — brief informal safety discussions with staff on specific topics
- ✓Process for acting on near-miss reports and safety suggestions from staff
Essential HSE Resources for Farm Health & Safety
HSE Farm Safety Hub
Visit →The primary HSE resource for farm health and safety — guidance on all major farm risks, downloadable risk assessment templates, and statistics. Start here.
HSE Farm Safety Pack
Visit →Free downloadable guidance pack for farm health and safety management. Includes risk assessment templates for common farm activities.
RIDDOR Online Reporting
Visit →Report accidents, dangerous occurrences and occupational diseases online. Bookmark this — if something reportable happens, you need to be able to find it quickly.
COSHH Essentials
Visit →HSE COSHH guidance and assessment tools. Includes specific guidance on pesticides, slurry gases and other agricultural substances.
Farm Safety Foundation (Yellow Wellies)
Visit →Charity focused on farm safety — free resources, toolbox talk materials and mental health support for the farming community.
Farm H&S Policy Template
A starting point — adapt every section to your specific farm, operations and staff. Replace all [bracketed items] with your own details. A generic template submitted without personalisation will not satisfy an HSE inspector or farm assurance auditor.
Complete your compliance picture
Health and safety is one part of farm compliance. Read our guides on environmental policy and HACCP food safety.
Frequently Asked Questions
This guide is for information only. Health and safety law is complex and penalties for non-compliance include unlimited fines and criminal prosecution. This guide does not constitute legal advice. For your specific situation consult a qualified health and safety professional or your industry body. HSE contact: hse.gov.uk or 0300 003 1647.