Farmer's safety warning after three months in Coventry Hospital
The Farm Safety Foundation and Yellow Wellies have launched their Farm Safety Week
A farmer who spent three months in Coventry hospital with a spinal cord injury is urging others not to take shortcuts on safety whilst at work.
In 2019, farmer Michael Nixon suffered life-changing injuries after falling 28 feet through a roof while cleaning guttering on his farm, landing on the concrete floor below.
Michael sustained a T7 spinal cord injury and spent three months in Coventry Hospital, followed by five months of rehabilitation at Stoke Mandeville Spinal Injuries Centre.
After seven years of recovery, Michael has returned to farming and is urging others to make safety their top priority: "I knew straight away I had done something serious because I couldn't feel my legs.
"I spent three months flat my back doing absolutely nothing and that mentally took a big hit on me but I was really lucky to have the farming community around me.
"Looking back, I would advise anyone to just take 30 seconds, a minute to think about every job. 1t doesn't sound a lot, but it could make such a difference.
"I'm planning this year to have a go on a tractor again, which I haven't driven for nearly seven years now, so I am looking forward to that."
The warning comes during Farm Safety Week, as new figures show farm workers are seven times more likely to be killed at work than those in the construction industry.
Stephanie Berkeley, Manager of the Farm Safety Foundation, said: “When we talk about farm safety, fatalities understandably dominate the conversation, but serious injuries can be just as life changing.
“A fall from height, an encounter with machinery, a vehicle incident - these don’t always result in death, but they can leave someone living with chronic pain, reduced mobility, disability or an inability to continue working.
"That impact doesn’t stop with the individual; it affects the family, the farm business and the community as a whole."
Farm Safety Week 2026 will focus on raising awareness of the impact of both fatal and non-fatal injuries on farms.
Throughout the week, the charity will work with farmers, families, industry organisations and the wider rural community to promote discussion, education and practical steps to improve safety.