06/11 Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Sheffield farmers targeted

Health and Safety Executive (Yorkshire and Humber)


Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Sheffield farmers targeted in
agricultural safety event


Farmers from Nottinghamshire, North Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and
Sheffield are being targeted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) in
an effort to reduce the number of farm workers killed and injured each
year.

The free health and safety awareness event is taking place on Tuesday 7
November at the Welbeck Estate in Worksop from 9 - 12pm and from 1 -
4pm.

In 2004/5 146 people in the East Midlands were injured as a result of
agriculture related activities and two people were killed.

The event will feature scenarios on those issues that cause the
majority of injuries and ill health including transport, falls from height,
fragile roofwork, manual handling, quad bike awareness, chemical handling
and cattle/sheep handling. Each scenario will highlight the risks
involved and give practical demonstrations on how these risks can be
eliminated or reduced to acceptable levels.

Principal Inspector for Nottinghamshire, Frank Lomas said:

"Agriculture continues to be one of the most hazardous industries to
work in, with a fatal injury rate that is generally higher than any other
industrial sector. On average over the last ten years almost one
person a week has been killed as a direct result of agricultural work.

"But whereas the number of fatal accidents to employees is decreasing,
that for the self-employed is going up, with almost three times more
self-employed workers than employees killed last year. HSE is
particularly concerned with child safety as half the fatal accidents to members
of the public on farms in the period 1993/94 to 2002/03, were to
children."

The seminars have been organised in partnership with trainers from
LANTRA. The HSE will view attendance at the event as a positive sign that
an individual or company is keen to manage health and safety risks
within the workplace.

22/08 Nottinghamshire farmers preserve the past thanks to DEFRA

Nottinghamshire farmers preserve the past thanks to DEFRA

Two Nottinghamshire farmers are helping to preserve the past after
receiving Defra funding delivered by the Rural Development Service to
protect an archaeological site in Nottinghamshire.

Taylor and Sons Growers Ltd, of Cromwell House Farm, Cromwell, and W
Jackson and Sons, of Hill Farm, Carlton-on-Trent, have neighbouring
fields which stand on a scheduled ancient monument. They have been taken
out of arable production to avoid damaging underlying archaeology.

According to county archaeologists, the un-named Romano-British
settlement cannot be dated accurately as it has never been excavated but is
thought to be early Roman and possibly even late Iron Age although there
is also evidence of underlying prehistoric features. It consists of
enclosures, cropmarks and ditches where houses and streets once existed.

Both farmers have been awarded Entry Level Stewardship (ELS) funding
while Mr Jackson has also benefited from Countryside Stewardship Scheme
funding (CSS), which has gone towards making improvements to the land
that are sympathetic towards the historic environment.

Robert Taylor said:

"The site has been taken out of production because it is a fully
protected historic monument which means it must not be disturbed at all. It
has never been excavated, in fact, the use of metal detectors is not
even allowed. We are allowed to graze cattle and cut hay but anything
more than that might put the site at risk especially as some of the crops
we grow require the land to undergo fairly deep cultivation."

"The ELS funding enabled us to convert the arable land into grassland.
There was a lot of restructuring work to be done and it was costly but
it ensures that historic features are preserved as they should be."

ELS funding is awarded to farmers to improve landscape and enhance
environment for wildlife in addition to protecting historic environments
including archaeological features and artefacts.

Vanessa Cox, an adviser for the Regional Development Service in the
East Midlands, said:

"The countryside's historical features are fundamental to its
diversity, attractiveness and of course represent a vital part of everyone's
cultural heritage. The landscape and archaeological features such as
those on Mr Jackson and Mr Taylor's farms are often the only evidence we
have for most of human history.

"Managing archaeological sites on cultivated land presents a particular
challenge, because regular cultivations can damage or destroy hidden
remains. Mr Taylor and Mr Jackson have recognised the importance of
protecting these sites for present and future generations and with the help
of an ELS grant, they have agreed to remove these sites from
cultivation. One of the main aims of ELS is to protect the historic environment
and it is really encouraging to see that this is happening here in
Nottinghamshire."

22/08 Boost for neighbourhood Policing in nottingham

Boost for neighbourhood Policing in nottingham with major recruitment
drive for Community Support Officers

The Government's commitment to neighbourhood policing was given a major
boost today with the launch of a new regional poster campaign to
recruit 10,000 more Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs).

The nationwide recruitment drive will help achieve the Government's
target of recruiting 16,000 PCSOs by next year.

PCSOs are an integral part of the wider policing family, providing
high-visibility patrolling and offering reassurance to local communities as
part of neighbourhood policing teams.

The poster advertising campaign will run in ten cities across England
and Wales and is backed by major TV, radio, and print adverts.

Announcing the posters the Home Secretary called on members of the
public in Nottingham to join the growing numbers of PCSOs signing up to
play a vital role in helping to combat low level crime and anti-social
behaviour.

The Home Secretary said:
"The police family has never been bigger. However, while maintaining an
historic number of police officers, we want even more keen and willing
people to join the wider crime fighting team as PCSOs - making our
streets and communities safer.

"Police Community Support Officers have been a welcome addition to our
communities. They play a critical role in neighbourhood policing and
have had a major impact. Their uniformed presence on our streets makes a
real difference in driving down low-level crime and anti-social
behaviour.

"If you think you could play a major part in tackling crime and
anti-social behaviour in your area by being a part of Neighbourhood Policing
Teams, we want to hear from you."

Association of Chief Police Officers spokesman, Chief Constable Steve
Finnigan said:
"PCSOs are an integral part of Neighbourhood Policing Teams and we
recognise the real benefits that recruiting more into the service can
bring. They provide an invaluable opportunity to engage with local people,
provide reassurance and tackle, along with our partners, those crimes
and anti-social behaviour which really impact on people's day to day
lives.

"The value of PCSOs is in providing visible reassurance, and a familiar
face that understands the concerns of communities. They act as the eyes
and ears of the police service in the heart of our communities and that
vital role should not be underestimated.

"Recruiting more PCSOs will help to ensure that the police service can
continue to make in-roads into preventing, tackling and detecting crime
and disorder which is why the recruitment campaign being launched today
is welcomed by ACPO."