Agriculture (Safety, Health and Welfare Provisions) Act 1956

1 Regulations for securing safety and health of employees

(1) Provision may be made by regulations under this section for protecting workers employed in agriculture against risks of bodily injury or injury to health arising out of the use of any machinery, plant, equipment or appliance, the carrying on of any operation, the use of any process or the management of animals, for securing to such workers safe places to work in and safe means of access thereto and for protecting them against risks of bodily injury arising out of their falling through apertures in floors or walls, or from their workplaces, or while ascending or descending staircases or ladders.

(2) Regulations under this section may make any such provision for any of the purposes mentioned in the foregoing subsection as appears to the authority by whom the regulations are made to meet the necessity of the case as far as is reasonably practicable, and may impose obligations, restrictions and prohibitions on employers of workers employed in agriculture, on such workers themselves, and on others.

(3) Without prejudice to the generality of the last foregoing subsection, regulations under this section may provide for—

(a) regulating or prohibiting the use of any machinery, plant, equipment or appliance, the carrying on of any operation or the use of any process ;

(b) imposing requirements with respect to the construction, installation, examination, repair, maintenance, alteration, adjustment and testing of machinery, plant, equipment or appliances and the safeguarding of dangerous parts thereof and prohibiting the sale or letting on hire of any machinery, plant, equipment or appliance which does not comply with requirements of the regulations ;

(c) requiring the observance of precautions in connection with the management of animals and imposing requirements with respect to the construction of enclosures in which animals are kept;

(d) requiring the giving of instructions with respect to the proper manner of using any machinery, plant, equipment or appliance, carrying on any operation, using any process or managing animals ;

(e) prohibiting the employment in work of any kind prescribed by the regulations of persons who have not attained the age of eighteen, either absolutely or except upon the condition of their having received a sufficient training in work of that kind or being subject to such supervision as may be so prescribed;

(f) imposing requirements with respect to the fencing of apertures in floors or walls, the construction and maintenance of staircases and the provision in connection therewith of handrails and other safeguards and the construction and maintenance of ladders;

(g) requiring the taking of such steps as may be prescribed by the regulations for the purpose of bringing provisions of the regulations to the notice of workers employed in agriculture ; and

(h) any incidental, supplementary or consequential matters for which it appears to the authority by whom the regulations are made requisite or expedient to provide for the purposes of the regulations.

(4) Regulations under this section may make different provision to meet different circumstances.

(5) Regulations under this section may provide for empowering the appropriate Minister to grant certificates exempting (for such periods as may be specified therein and subject to such conditions, if any, as may be so specified) particular cases or particular persons from the operation of provisions of the regulations.

(6) A person who contravenes any provision of regulations under this section shall be guilty of an offence.

(7) The Threshing Machines Act, 1878, shall be repealed on such day as may be appointed for that purpose by order made by the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food by statutory instrument, and the Chaff-Cutting Machines (Accidents) Act, 1897, shall be repealed—

(a) as respects England and Wales, on such day as may be appointed for that purpose by order made as aforesaid;

(b) as respects Scotland, on such day as may be appointed for that purpose by order made by the Secretary of State by statutory instrument.