Cornish farmer uses TikTok and Instagram to spread safety message

A young farmer from Cornwall has been using social media to spread the message of safety.

Nineteen-year-old livestock farmer Maria Warne has almost one million followers on TikTok.

Miss Warne posts videos reminding other farmers of the many ways they can act to stay safe while on a farm.

Figures from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) reveal agriculture has the worst rate of fatal injuries of all the main industry sectors.

Miss Warne, from Port Isaac, said: "We're just there to help people out, listen, and really raise awareness for it, and social media is the perfect place to do that."

The Farm Safety Foundation charity, or Yellow Wellies as it is also known, said farming was still the most dangerous occupation in the UK.

Miss Warne said it was "really saddening" to hear about an accident on a farm.

She said: "When an incident happens in the community, whether it's near or far, we all sort of come together as one and we do feel it as a whole."

Between April 2021 and March 2022, a total of 25 people lost their lives on farms in Great Britain - compared to the previous year's total of 41.

The HSE report on agriculture, forestry and fishing showed the most common cause of death was being struck by moving vehicles.

Miss Warne thinks there is always more work to be done.

The young farmer posts videos on TikTok and Instagram encouraging people to stay safe on a farm - even while carrying out everyday tasks.

She said even simple things, like carrying out pre-start checks before driving a tractor, can make a difference.

Ms Warne said "the risks change every single day", and urged people to think about how they could improve safety on a daily basis.

Speaking in the 10th Farm Safety week, Stephanie Berkeley from the Farm Safety Foundation, said: "Despite an encouraging improvement in the HSE figures over the past year, these are very sobering statistics.

"We must remember that these are not just statistics - behind every fatal notification is a worker, a visitor or a child.

"We cannot become immune to the impact that each and every death has on farming families and communities across the UK and Ireland.

"Ten years after our first campaign, we cannot continue to accept that risk-taking is part and parcel of farming - we have to work harder to make it safer."

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