Media Centre

Norwich Union has supported the Health andSafety Executive (HSE) in producing an updated version ofFarmwise: Your essential guide to health and safety inagriculture.

It provides practical health and safety guidanceto farming and horticulture businesses as well as acting as auseful training and reference aid for brokers.

By following the guide, readers can learn toeffectively manage health and safety, comply with the law and carryout risk assessments. Aimed at both those responsible for running afarming business and people working on farms, it is designed toencourage everyone in agriculture to tackle health and safetyissues.

David Bruce, product manager at Norwich Union,said: "In the last 10 years an average of 49 people a year havebeen killed because of agricultural and horticultural workactivities. By supporting this guide we hope to help eliminatehazards and control risks to reduce the number of injuries and illhealth in this industry.

"It provides sound advice on a wide range ofactivities in agriculture, from selecting and buying new machinery,to the safety of children and the public. It focuses on the mostcommon causes of accidents, injuries and ill health, such astransport and falls from height, as well as many other aspects ofworkplace safety and welfare. We have worked with HSE on a numberof projects and this latest initiative demonstrates our commitmentto preventing accidents in this sector."

Single copies of the guide (MISC165) are available free ofcharge from HSE Books, PO Box 1999, Sudbury, Suffolk CO10 2WA Tel:01787 881165 Fax: 01787 313995 Website: www.hsebooks.co.uk and itcan also be sourced from www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/misc165.pdf

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For further information, please contact:
Clare Schofield at Staniforth on 0161 274 0100 or Sally Leeman atNorwich Union on 01603 684225/07800 699670

Notes to editors
About Norwich Union Insurance

• Norwich Union is the UK's largest insurer with a market shareof around 14 per cent
• With a focus on insurance for individuals and smallbusinesses, Norwich Union insures:
• • one in five households
  • one in seven motor vehicles
  • around 800,000 businesses
• Norwich Union products are available through a variety ofdistribution channels including brokers, corporate partners suchas banks and building societies and Norwich Union Direct.
• Aviva, Norwich Union’s parent company, recentlyannounced its acquisition of the RAC. The acquisition bringstogether the RAC's powerful brand and customer base with theexpertise and leading position in motor insurance of Norwich UnionInsurance.
• Norwich Union's news releases and a selection of images areavailable on the Aviva internet press centre atwww.aviva.com/media.
• An ISDN facility is available for studio quality broadcast.Call the press office on 01603 682264