Incident Summary:
Date: 24 July 2026
Location: County Durham
Incident type: Fall from Height (Barn Roof)
Fatal Notification 2026-18 Fall from Height (Barn Roof)
Initial notification is that a 12 year-old child was killed on a farm when he fell through a barn roof.
Every year children, commonly family members, are killed on farms. The risks from farm work are well known. Farms are a workplace. Young children must be kept out of the active workplace and instead have a safe and secure play area.
Key Safety Messages:
Children must not be allowed in the farm workplace. Take measures to ensure that children are excluded from the farm workplace. Young children should enjoy outdoor space in a secure fenced area.
Any access to the farm workplace by children under 16, for example for education, or knowledge / experience, must be planned and fully supervised by an adult not engaged in any work activity.
Children under the age of 13 years are specifically prohibited from driving or riding on any agricultural machine. It is illegal.
Properly trained, instructed, and supervised older children may, in tightly controlled circumstances, be able to help with some straightforward low risk tasks. There are things they cannot do. Follow the law and guidance.
Make sure everyone working on the farm, or visiting the farm, is aware that children may be unexpectedly present (using signage where appropriate) and must stop all work until the child has been returned to a safe area.
Guidance on child safety can be found on the HSE’s agriculture website and in the HSE’s free leaflet: