Farming – Stacking Bales of Hay

Farms are wonderful, vibrant places, full of energy, enthusiasm and hard-working people. Through my farms visits I have learnt to respect farmers even more than I ever did; they are a workforce that constantly strives to do their best, working every hour they can to feed that country. As such, I have a strong desire to help farmers as much as possible, to work in safe and healthy environments.

And so I find it sad when accidents occur but when it is something that I think should be easily managed it comes as a deep frustration to me. Recently, a company was fined ￡36,000 after a young farmer (husband and father) was seriously injured. In 2022, five hay bales fell on top of him fracturing several ribs along with fractures to his pelvis and ankle. He was trapped, unable to move and only by the luck of a passer-by were his calls for help heard.

Good fortune meant that the injuries were not worse, the hay bales, each weighing around 600kg potentially could have killed him.

So, what happened?

The bales had been stored on a layer of pallets to keep them off the floor of the barn which was damp at the time. As the farmer moved the pallets to reach the stack of bales, an entire column of 5 toppled over, crushing the farmer.

The HSE investigated and found that the bales had been stacked incorrectly, breaching Regulation 10 (4) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005. Regulation 10 (4) states:

·??????? Every employer shall ensure that materials and objects are stored in such a way as to prevent risk to any person arising from the collapse, overturning or unintended movement of such materials or objects.

For the farmer involved this led to a serious injury, requiring an airlift to hospital, emergency surgery and months of rehabilitation to regain mobility and to walk again. Apart from the obvious physical and mental impact this had on the farmer, it may have also impacted his business financially.

How could this have been prevented?

Regulation 10 (1) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 states that:

·??????? Every employer shall, where necessary to prevent injury to any person, take suitable and sufficient steps to prevent, so far as is reasonably practicable, the fall of any material or object.

The company that delivered the bales could have taken some simple measures to ensure the bales were secure. HSE Guidance states the bottom of a stack should set up a dry, sturdy foundation for all additional bales. Bales should all be ‘tied in’ and the stack should be monitored to ensure it remains stable.

In order to tie bales in, this would require alternating the layers, so the bales overlap and stop the stack from splitting and NOT simply placed in vertical columns. There was also a failure to identify how the bales could be unstacked safely. Finally, the stacked bales should be checked routinely to make sure nothing has moved or changed and that it remains stable.

More information can be found here:

https://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg125.htm?utm_source=press.hse.gov.uk&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=prosecution_push

Stacking bales does require expert knowledge and someone who knows the industry guidance. It shouldn’t be taken lightly, and I would suggest always make sure areas where bales are stacked and stored are prohibited to children and visitors.

Health and safety is a fundamental requirement for farming and yet, in the last 10 years, almost one person a week is killed and many more are seriously injured as a result of agricultural work. It’s a staggering statistic and one that must change.

If you want a Health and Safety company that can help you manage the safety of your agricultural site, please contact me at EOS HSQE Consultancy. We have the experience and knowledge to help you to identify areas for improvement, so that you are compliant and that everyone goes home safely.

You can contact us on LinkedIn or at [email protected].