Farming and agricultural work can involve risks that are very different from those found in an office, shop or other low-risk workplace.
Workers may use heavy machinery, handle livestock, work with chemicals, operate chainsaws or other cutting equipment, work alone and spend long periods in locations that are difficult for emergency services to reach.
Because of these factors, first aid arrangements on a farm should be based on the actual work being carried out, the people involved and how quickly professional medical help could reach an injured person.
This guide explains how farmers, agricultural employers and rural businesses can plan appropriate first aid provision, including first aid kits, travelling kits, trained personnel, emergency communication and arrangements for remote work.
Agricultural workplaces combine several types of risk in the same environment. A single farm may include machinery, vehicles, workshops, livestock, chemicals, work at height and isolated outdoor locations.
Potential incidents can include:
First aid cannot prevent these incidents, so suitable risk controls must always come first. However, effective first aid arrangements can help ensure that someone who is injured or becomes ill receives appropriate immediate assistance while emergency medical help is arranged.
For employers, the Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981 require adequate and appropriate equipment, facilities and personnel to enable first aid to be given to employees if they are injured or become ill at work.
The law does not prescribe one specific agricultural first aid kit or a fixed number of first aiders for every farm.
Instead, the employer should carry out a first aid needs assessment and decide what provision is appropriate for the particular workplace.
If you need a broader explanation of the legislation, see our UK First Aid Law Explained guide.
For a more detailed explanation of how provision should be assessed, see HSE First Aid Needs Assessment Explained.
There is no single arrangement that will suit every agricultural business. A small livestock farm, a large arable operation and a horticultural business may have very different risks.
The assessment should consider:
The assessment should be reviewed when circumstances change, for example when new machinery is introduced, different chemicals are used, staffing changes or new work activities begin.
| Agricultural hazard | Possible first aid implications | Planning consideration |
|---|---|---|
| Machinery and vehicles | Crush injuries, severe cuts, fractures and traumatic injuries. | Consider emergency access, trained first aiders and provision for life-threatening bleeding where the needs assessment identifies the risk. |
| Livestock | Crushing, kicking, bites, falls and contaminated wounds. | Consider work location, communication and access to suitable first aid equipment. |
| Chainsaws and cutting equipment | Potentially severe bleeding and traumatic injury. | Remote workers may need travelling first aid equipment and appropriate emergency arrangements. |
| Chemicals and pesticides | Skin or eye exposure, inhalation or poisoning. | Follow the relevant safety data and COSHH controls and ensure emergency washing or other facilities are available where required. |
| Working at height | Head injuries, fractures, spinal injury or loss of consciousness. | Emergency planning should consider how emergency services will reach and recover the casualty safely. |
| Electrical equipment | Electric shock, burns and cardiac arrest. | Electrical isolation and emergency procedures should be understood before an incident occurs. |
| Remote or lone working | Delay before an injured person is discovered or professional help arrives. | Communication, check-in procedures, location information and travelling first aid provision become especially important. |
| Extreme weather | Heat exhaustion, heatstroke or hypothermia. | Seasonal conditions and remote outdoor work should form part of emergency planning. |
Agricultural employers need adequate and appropriate first aid equipment as part of their overall arrangements.
HSE's Farmwise guidance advises farms to provide a suitably stocked first aid container that can be easily accessed in an emergency.
There is no universal statutory contents list for every farm. The contents should be determined by the first aid needs assessment and the type of work being carried out.
Depending on the risks identified, provision may need to account for:
First aid equipment should be protected from contamination, moisture and excessive temperatures and should remain accessible when it is needed.
You can view our range of first aid kits when reviewing first aid provision for your workplace.
In agriculture, workers frequently leave the main farm buildings and may work some distance from the primary first aid kit.
HSE's Farmwise guidance specifically recommends considering travelling first aid kits carried on tractors or when particularly hazardous work is being carried out in remote locations.
This does not mean every vehicle in every agricultural business automatically needs the same kit. The decision should follow the needs assessment.
Travelling provision may be particularly appropriate for:
The kit should be placed somewhere it can be reached quickly and should be checked regularly for missing, damaged or expired items.
Distance can substantially change first aid needs.
An accident inside a building close to a main road may receive emergency assistance relatively quickly. The same injury in a remote field, woodland or isolated farm building may take considerably longer to reach.
This makes emergency planning especially important.
Farm businesses should consider whether workers can:
HSE Farmwise recommends ensuring emergency services can identify the location of the premises. For more general workplace planning, see our Workplace Emergency Response Plan guide.
Lone working is common in agriculture and can significantly increase the consequences of an incident.
A person may be capable of calling for assistance after a minor accident but unable to do so after a serious fall, machinery injury or medical emergency.
A lone-working assessment should therefore consider:
Our Lone Worker First Aid Requirements guide covers this subject in more detail.
The number and level of trained first aiders should follow the first aid needs assessment rather than a universal farm-specific ratio.
Factors that can increase the need for trained first aiders include:
An employer should also ensure that suitable first aid cover remains available during holidays, sickness and other foreseeable absences.
Where the needs assessment determines that a trained first aider is not required, an employer should still appoint someone to take charge of first aid arrangements.
An appointed person may be responsible for:
An appointed person is not the same as a trained first aider and should not provide treatment beyond their competence.
See our Appointed First Aiders guide for a detailed explanation of the distinction.
Agricultural machinery can create a foreseeable risk of severe injury. Employers should first control that risk through appropriate guarding, safe systems of work, maintenance, training and other preventive measures.
First aid arrangements should then reflect the residual risks that remain.
HSE's updated first aid at work guidance specifically asks employers to consider whether life-threatening bleeding is a foreseeable risk when carrying out their first aid needs assessment.
Where it is identified as a significant risk, employers should consider what additional training, equipment and procedures are appropriate.
For general emergency information, see our First Aid for Major Bleeding guide.
Crush injuries can occur around vehicles, machinery, livestock, gates, trailers and heavy equipment.
These incidents can be serious even when external injuries initially appear limited. The priority should be to make the situation safe without placing additional people at risk and obtain emergency medical assistance where serious injury is suspected.
Never enter an unsafe area or attempt a rescue involving machinery, unstable equipment, confined spaces or other uncontrolled hazards unless appropriate procedures and competence are in place.
Read our First Aid for Crush Injuries guide for further information.
Agricultural businesses may use pesticides, disinfectants, fuels, fertilisers, veterinary products and other hazardous substances.
COSHH assessments and product safety information should identify appropriate emergency measures before these substances are used.
Depending on the substance and exposure route, emergency arrangements may need to address:
Workers should know where relevant safety information is located and what immediate action is required if exposure occurs.
See our COSHH and First Aid Explained guide for more information.
Livestock can cause serious injuries through crushing, kicking, trampling, bites or sudden movement.
Even apparently minor wounds can be contaminated, particularly where workers are exposed to soil, animal waste or dirty equipment.
Risk control should focus primarily on safe handling systems, suitable facilities and avoiding unnecessary exposure to aggressive or unpredictable animals.
First aid planning should then consider the types of injury that could realistically occur and how an injured worker would receive assistance.
Falls can occur from ladders, roofs, machinery, stacks, platforms and other elevated work areas.
The first priority is preventing falls. However, emergency arrangements should also consider what would happen if a serious fall occurred.
Workers should know how to call for help, and emergency services must be able to reach the casualty.
A person with a suspected serious head, neck or spinal injury should not be moved unnecessarily unless remaining where they are presents an immediate danger.
Agricultural businesses often employ additional workers during harvesting, fruit picking, planting and other seasonal periods.
First aid arrangements should be reviewed when workforce numbers increase significantly.
Employers should make sure temporary workers know:
Language and communication difficulties should also be considered where workers may not have English as their first language.
There is no universal legal number of first aid kits for a farm.
However, one kit located in the farmhouse or main office may not provide reasonable access if workers are spread across multiple buildings, fields or remote areas.
The needs assessment should consider:
A combination of fixed first aid points and travelling kits may therefore be more appropriate than relying on one central kit.
First aid equipment should be readily accessible but protected from conditions that could damage its contents.
Agricultural environments can expose equipment to:
Kits should therefore be stored in suitable containers and locations and inspected regularly.
Used, damaged or expired supplies should be replaced promptly.
The law does not prescribe one universal inspection interval for every first aid kit.
The frequency should reflect usage and workplace conditions. A travelling kit used frequently in a tractor or work vehicle may require more frequent checks than a kit stored in a clean office.
Checks should confirm that:
A well-stocked kit is only one part of effective first aid provision.
Workers should also know:
HSE guidance recommends that employees are informed about first aid arrangements, including where equipment, facilities and personnel can be found.
Workplace accidents should be recorded where applicable, and certain work-related injuries, diseases and dangerous occurrences must be reported under RIDDOR.
Internal accident records can also help identify patterns and determine whether first aid arrangements or preventive controls need to change.
Repeated cuts from one task, for example, may indicate that simply replacing dressings is not enough; the underlying work process should be reviewed.
For the distinction between ordinary accident recording and statutory reporting, see our RIDDOR and First Aid Explained guide.
| Area to review | Questions to ask |
|---|---|
| Risk assessment | Have the actual injuries and health emergencies that could occur during agricultural work been considered? |
| First aid personnel | Are enough trained first aiders or appointed persons available throughout working hours? |
| Main first aid equipment | Are suitably stocked kits accessible where workers need them? |
| Travelling kits | Do tractors, remote workers or teams carrying out hazardous tasks need portable first aid provision? |
| Lone workers | Can they raise an alarm and can someone locate them if they become incapacitated? |
| Emergency access | Can emergency services identify and reach the farm and remote work areas quickly? |
| Communication | Is mobile coverage reliable, or are radios or alternative systems required? |
| Hazardous substances | Do COSHH assessments identify the necessary emergency and first aid measures? |
| Seasonal workers | Have arrangements been reviewed when workforce numbers or working patterns change? |
| Kit maintenance | Are contents inspected, replenished and protected from agricultural conditions? |
| Emergency information | Do workers know who to contact, where the equipment is and how to provide an accurate location? |
The Health and Safety Executive publishes Farmwise (HSG270), which provides detailed health and safety guidance for farming and agricultural work. It includes specific sections covering first aid, emergency arrangements, machinery, livestock, chemicals, lone working and other agricultural risks.
Employers and farm businesses can refer directly to the HSE Farmwise guidance when reviewing their arrangements.
Effective first aid provision on a farm is not simply a matter of keeping one first aid kit in the farmhouse.
Agricultural businesses should consider where people actually work, what hazards they face, whether they work alone, how far they may be from professional medical assistance and how emergency services would locate and reach them.
For some farms, appropriate provision may include several first aid points, travelling kits, trained first aiders, reliable communication equipment and clearly planned emergency procedures.
The most important principle is that first aid arrangements should follow the risks identified through the needs assessment and should be reviewed whenever the workforce, activities or working environment change.
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