Health & Safety Guidance for your event

Health and safety is crucial but should not overshadow the enjoyment of your event. With thoughtful preparation and adherence to best practices, you can create a safe, educational, and fun experience for everyone. Below is essential information to help you plan a safe event.

Key safety requirements

Insurance

• Notify your insurance provider about the event and ensure you have a minimum of £5 million public liability insurance.

   

Risk assessment

• Complete a comprehensive risk assessment to identify hazards, evaluate risks, and implement control measures.

• Use the generic risk assessment provided by LEAF in the OFS handbook, as a framework to address specific concerns, such as animal interactions and visitor movement.

   

Animal contact and hygiene

Activities like holding lambs or stroking calves are memorable, but precautions are necessary to prevent illnesses such as E. coli O157. Follow these guidelines:

• Refer to the Industry Code of Practice for preventing and controlling ill health from animal contact, available on the Access to farms website.
• Key documents, including a summary guide and risk management tool, can be downloaded for practical advice.

• Ideally do not allow visitors in pens with livestock.

   

Handwashing and hygiene

Proper handwashing is vital for preventing the spread of bacteria. Antibacterial gels are NOT a substitute for proper handwashing.

Handwashing stations must include:

• Running water (cold is acceptable in June).
• Liquid soap (no bar soap).
• Paper towels (not cloth towels).

Supervision and signage are essential:

• Place clear signs at animal contact areas, handwashing facilities, and eating zones.
• Supervise handwashing areas to ensure thorough cleaning (soap lather, rinse under running water, and dry with paper towels) and make sure your helpers/volunteers know role, understand the risks and what visitors need to do.

Watch this video for handwashing ideas

Animal areas

To minimize risks in areas where visitors interact with livestock:

• Keep animal contact areas a good distance from eating zones.
• Provide fresh bedding for animals and ensure gates, partitions, and walkways are clean and free of faecal matter or seepage.
• Muck heaps should be cordoned off and inaccessible.
• After visiting, encourage visitors to clean hand, shoes, pushchairs, and other equipment.

Follow biosecurity guidelines to protect your livestock and safeguard visitor health.

Tractor and trailer rides

If offering tractor and trailer rides, safety is paramount. Ensure trailers meet the requirements detailed in the HSE document Carriage of Passengers on Farm Trailers (AIS36(rev1). These include:

• Sturdy handrails and kick boards around the trailer.
• Fixed seating, such as strapped hay bales or benches.
• Independent brakes for the trailer.

• Ensure the driver is trained and fully briefed on the route.

   

Cleanliness of the farm

While your farm doesn’t need to be spotless, it should be safe and hygienic for visitors.

General cleaning tips:

• Segregate high-risk areas like manure heaps, slurry pits, and collecting yards.
• Keep visitor pathways clear and clean.
• In public-facing areas (e.g. dairy parlour tours), ensure surfaces are washed down and free of faecal contamination.
• Use clean bedding where livestock interact with visitors.
• Ensure fields used for car parking are free from livestock at least 3 weeks prior to use as a car park.

Nature trails:

• If trails pass through livestock fields, direct visitors to handwashing facilities upon exit.

• Avoid picnicking areas in these fields to minimize contamination risks.

   

In summary, you must:

Provide handwashing facilities, signage, and supervision at key areas.

Segregate animal contact areas from eating zones.

Keep walkways clean and safe for visitors.

Follow biosecurity measures to protect livestock and visitors.

Ensure trailers used for rides meet HSE safety standards.

By following these measures, and information in the Open Farm Sunday Handbook, your Open Farm Sunday event should be safe and enjoyable for all involved.

LEAF collaborates with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) to provide host farmers with up-to-date guidelines and support.

If you have any question please contact the LEAF team at: 02476413911, openfarmsunday@leaf.eco