Are your farming clients looking for ways to reduce risk this winter?

At Geo, we are keen to support brokers and your clients not only with quality insurance coverage, but also looking at the full risk management picture. We want to help your clients to be as well-equipped as possible, so their assets are protected and they are less likely to need to make a claim – and ultimately they can save time and effort too.

Keeping clear and consistent records across your machinery, vehicles, and buildings, is a simple way that a farm can improve safety, reduce downtime and meet assurance scheme standards. Traditional manual paper-based record keeping systems can be slow and vulnerable to error, which is why some farms have moved to an automated app-based solution to save time and money – and why we partnered with the team at Merit Advantage and MeritAgCheck to offer Geo policyholders a discount on their risk management app tools.

“Using an app can empower your team to manage, service and inspect your assets, from a tractor to a grain store or milking parlour,” explains Jon Stewart, Managing Director at Merit Advantage and MeritAgCheck. “A full check, service and inspection record can then evidence your compliance and give you a full audit trail which is backed up. Such records help to mitigate risk and reduce downtime, while reducing incidents and supporting your business from an insurance perspective.”

We asked Jon and the team at Merit Advantage for their guidance on common gaps that brokers and their clients should be aware of.  They advised that a good agricultural service schedule should include:

-       Keeping track of inspection due dates for all your vehicles and machinery items, including statutory inspections like LOLER.

-       Managing all your fire, gas and electrical inspections across your buildings.

-       Keeping a clear log of daily and weekly checks for compliance and assurance schemes.

-       Having a record of all team licenses and training across your machinery. 

“The latest HSE statistics show that machinery incidents and contact with moving vehicles are both still major causes of accidents on farms, so it’s critical to maintain a register of all checks and records to protect your team and your farm business,” Jon adds.  

“Falls from height and confined spaces are also major causes of accidents in buildings, so having a record of building checks and ensuring you have the correct health and safety system in place are crucial in maintaining a safe working environment for your team.”

Jon will be at the Yorkshire Farming Conference in Harrogate on 28 January, so if you’re attending, please do join him for a coffee. You can reach Jon at J.Stewart@revolutiongroupltd.com

To find out more about the app and pass on the reduced subscription cost to your clients - visit meritadvantage.co.uk/geo

Contact the MeritAgCheck team at geo@meritadvantage.co.uk or call 0808 196 3737 to book a free demonstration of the app.