The British Potato Council has released a new DVD promoting the importance of health and safety in potato production.

Supported by the Health and Safety Executive and the NFU, the Safe Potato Handling DVD is aimed at the team involved with in-field and in-store potato grading, integrating the importance of health and safety with correct use of farm equipment and preserving potato quality and increasing sold yield.

The DVD has optional subtitles which are available in Polish, Portugese, Latvian and Lithuanian, and has been distributed to all BPC-registered growers and members of the National Association of Agricultural Contractors.

The film has sections for different levels of staff, highlighting specific responsibilities, with a test that can be taken to check understanding, and a certificate which can be awarded at the end.

Tony Mitchell, an HSE inspector, said: “Every year there are number of serious incidents on farms and even deaths. The DVD sets out best practice principles in a simple format that can be developed and adopted to the local circumstance. It will be a valuable tool for managers and supervisors to raise awareness amongst workers and help reduce the risk of accidents and improving the efficiency of potato harvesting, which will benefit their business. The people best placed to make the workplace safer are the staff and managers who work in them.”

Barry Baker from Grimme UK, who produced the film, said: “Safety has advanced on machinery and equipment over the years. Very often the main operator has been shown how to use a certain piece of equipment. But it is vital everyone who comes into contact with specific machinery understands and is aware of the risks and how the equipment should be operated and used safely. The DVD provides the solution and highlights the communication that is required for the whole farm team during harvesting and grading to ensure the operation is conducted safely.”

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