Light up: be safe, be seen

Short daylight working hours and intensive operations around the farmyard and buildings create additional risk at this time of the year, making visibility and lighting crucial for safety. Ensuring your yards, buildings, and vehicles are well lit and properly maintained can significantly reduce accidents and improve working conditions.

Farm tractors and machinery are large and have numerous blind spots making it difficult for drivers to see pedestrians; wearing high-visibility clothing while working near vehicles increases your chances of being seen and staying safe.

Lighting

Good lighting is essential for working areas as it helps identify hazards in low-light conditions and ensures smooth farm operations. Key considerations include:

• Install and maintain adequate lighting in all working areas, including farmyards and buildings. When doing this work, use a mobile elevated work platform (MEWP) for added safety if the light fixtures are at height;
• Select light fittings that are suitable for farm environments and comply with appropriate IP ratings for water and dust resistance; 
• Outdoor floodlights should have a minimum protection rating of IP55 to withstand harsh weather conditions; and
• The minimum level of protection for all fittings in farm installations is IP44 – for light fittings, mains electric fences and all other equipment such as plugs, sockets, light switches, motor starters, isolators and fuseboards. 
• In wet locations like milking parlours and dairies, the minimum protection level against moisture is increased to five for all electrical equipment.

Electrical safety

It is good practice to periodically check the electrical installations and equipment on your farm to ensure that they are safe. Electrical fittings can become damaged due to wear and tear, so be sure to repair and replace all electrical items when necessary and check that fittings have the correct IP ratings. An electrical contractor should always be used to carry out this work. You should also check that your residual current device (RCD) is working correctly, both mechanically and electrically. Test your RCD monthly by pressing the test button. Remember to reset the switch after testing. Using portable electrical tools and equipment such as a power washer can cause electrocution. Always visually check that leads are not damaged. Never handle electrical equipment with wet hands or near water.

Low-visibility conditions

Poor visibility can be caused by unfavourable environmental conditions outside of your control, such as low natural light levels, sun glare, rain, snow, fog and dust. Other causes are within your control and can be addressed before problems arise, such as dirty or frozen windows and mirrors, lack of lighting in the yard and ineffective vehicle lights. Reduced visibility will increase the risk of a vehicle accident, so it is imperative that drivers take the appropriate measures to optimise their vision by ensuring lights are functioning properly before driving and keeping windows and mirrors clean. Additionally, adjust driving behaviour in low-visibility conditions by slowing down and staying alert.

Road safety during light-up hours

There are serious road-safety risks associated with using poorly lit agricultural vehicles on public roads. To prevent accidents:

• Always drive at a safe speed and make sure vehicle lights are turned on;
• Ensure all farm vehicles are equipped with fully functioning lights, including side lamps, headlamps, rear lamps, stop lamps, indicators, amber beacons, and number plate lighting;
• Be mindful of rear-end collisions which often happen when motorists are travelling behind agricultural vehicles and misjudge the speed difference between their own vehicle and the slower-moving agricultural one; 
• Take extra care when making wide turns to avoid side-impact collisions; and 
• Be vigilant of other road users.

Great care needs to be taken when driving large tractors, trailers and machinery, especially on narrow country roads. We would also encourage all pedestrians and cyclists to wear high-visibility vests, use the correct side of the road, keep in a single file and listen out for road vehicles, especially when using narrow country roads.

Remember, always think safety first