Farmers urged to prioritise safety as silage season approaches

Date published: 28 April 2026

HSENI, in partnership with the Farm Safety Partnership (FSP), is reminding farmers and agricultural workers to take extra care during grass cutting and silage making operations.

With the silage season just around the corner the message to all involved is to plan ahead, stay alert and make safety a top priority.

Speaking at the latest FSP meeting Chair, Harry Sinclair said: 

“Silage operations often require the use of high powered, fast-moving machinery often on challenging ground conditions and in unpredictable weather.

“When long hours are added into the mix, fatigue can quickly become a serious risk factor. This increases the likelihood of mistakes and potentially life-changing incidents.

“Breakdowns, often due to poor maintenance, can lead to delays and extra pressures in what is an already busy schedule. Farmers and contractors should be carrying out pre-use checks on the machinery before use and rectifying any issues before putting the machine into service,” he added.

 Farmers must ensure:

• all machinery is in good working order and well maintained;
• all brakes must be working effectively, 
• all PTO’s and moving parts need to be fully guarded.

 Blockages occur frequently and these should only be cleared after the machine has been stopped and the tractor keys removed. 

HSENI Deputy Chief Executive Bryan Monson, also warned farmers and contractors about not letting children onto the machinery.

“Silage making is an essential job, but it can also be one of the most hazardous times of the year on the farm. High-powered machinery is moving quickly, trailers are travelling on public roads and people become tired when trying to make the most of the good weather. 

“But shortcuts can lead to tragedy so we are urging farmers to slow down, watch out for each other and keep any children and visitors to the farm safe. No child under the age of 13 should be driving or carried in any vehicle involved in silage making.  

“The potential for children to be run over is also high so you must ensure that mirrors and cameras are working, anyone operating the machinery is trained and competent to do so and children are excluded from areas where vehicles are operating” he added.

HSENI and FSP are reminding all farmers and contractors that:

• Extreme care should be taken when filling and covering the silage clamp.
• Clamps must never be overfilled as this greatly increases the chance of a tractor or loading shovel overturning. 
• Care should be taken to avoid people falling from height and also from being trapped beneath the silage cover. The fermenting grass uses up the oxygen under the cover very quickly and the level of harmful gases increase rapidly.
• Overhead powerlines pose a significant risk to machinery that requires a lot of headroom, such as self-propelled harvesters and tipping trailers. 
• They should inform any contractor or driver with their location prior to any silage operations commencing.

 Bryan Monson added: 

“It’s easy to dismiss safety messages as over‑cautious, but serious and fatal accidents continue to happen, often with devastating consequences for farming families. Please take a moment to stop and think “is it safe?” and help ensure everyone returns home safely this silage season.”

For more information visit: Silage safety reminder for farmers and contractors