The AGRICULTURAL industry was the biggest cause of work-related fatal injuries in Wales last year according to new statistics released by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

Released on the first day of Farm Safety Week, the statistics have revealed that six deaths were recorded as being linked to farming, forestry and fisheries in Wales between March 2017 and April 2018, 21 per cent of the total number of agriculture worker deaths in Great Britain.

Rick Brunt, head of agriculture at HSE said: “While we are seeing signs of an industry eager to improve this record, the high death rate emphasises the need for determined action by all involved in the farming industry if we are to bring about a real change to these appalling figures.”

The youngest person fatally injured was 24-year-old man and the oldest was an 85-year-old woman who was fatally injured by an animal.

Older workers are increasingly forming a significant proportion of those killed at work in Great Britain. Across the country, 40 per cent of all fatal injuries in 2017/18 were to workers aged 60 or over, even though such workers made up only around 10 per cent of the workforce.

The figures released by the workplace regulator show that, of those fatally injured at work in Wales, two workers were killed after being struck by an object. Other causes of death included being struck by a moving vehicle, being trapped by something collapsing and being injured by an animal.

While the order of the top killers in the industry fluctuates each year, the overall top four or five causes of death in the farming industry have remained static.