Join us in supporting the annual Mind your Head Week campaign led by the Farm Safety Foundation (Yellow Wellies). Reach out and normalise conversations across the farming community about how youâre feeling and coping. Anyone can experience mental health problems at some point in life and it is not uncommon. Stress, depression or anxiety are responsible for more than half of all ill-health at work so make it routine to talk about it. Recognising the signs that there may be a problem and responding early can help lessen the impact on individuals, the team and the business. Even if people arenât talking about whatâs going on, signs of possible issues in your team can look like: arguments more sickness absence decreased performance heightened emotions loss of motivation, commitment or confidence
Mental health should be included in your risk assessment, just as physical health and safety is. For ideas of how other businesses have done this, and managed risks of stress, see the risk assessment template and examples. HSE's Working Minds campaign website has all the resources and information you need to get started or help you to review what you already have in place, including: specific advice for agriculture free online bitesize learning
If you have maintenance responsibilities for buildings, HSE's âAsbestos: Your Dutyâ campaign explains what you need to do to manage and prevent exposure to asbestos fibres. Dutyholders for non-domestic premises built before the turn of the century, and especially those between 1950 and 1980 when the use of asbestos in construction was at its peak, must carry out the necessary checks. If asbestos is properly managed, the exposure risk is low. However when disturbed or damaged it can become dangerous and cause lung disease and cancer. Make sure you know: what the legal duty to manage asbestos involves; you can visit HSE's website for guidance, templates and explanatory videos where asbestos can be found
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