Farm Safety Foundation manager Stephanie Berkeley said: "A few years ago, we introduced audiences to Ryan Taggart, a Young Farmer from Northern Ireland who lost sight in one eye from a farm accident. Every time we show his story as part of our farm safety training at colleges and universities, it has an impact. This made us think that if we could bring his story to life in some way, this would allow us to bring the experience to more farmers and farm workers and make them appreciate the importance of PPE and help them to work smarter and safer."
A new virtual reality (VR) experience will be launched at LAMMA 2025 to highlight the 'harsh reality' of what can happen when farmers work without wearing eye protection.
The Farm Safety Foundation has confirmed it will reveal its new VR experience to audiences at the show's Birmingham NEC venue, taking place on January 15 and 16, to demonstrate how 'delicate and susceptible' an eye injury can be on-farm and what could happen if safety protocols are ignored.
Visitors will have the chance to immerse themselves in three scenarios designed to highlight the importance of wearing eye protection while carrying out certain farming activities.
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Also known as Yellow Wellies, the farming charity said the human eye is one of the 'most vulnerable' to injury.
Stephanie Berkeley, Farm Safety Foundation manager, said activities around the farm like drilling, working with chemicals or riding an all-terrain vehicle (ATV) without the proper personal protective equipment (PPE) could have devastating long-term effects on a farm worker's vision.
"A few years ago, we introduced audiences to Ryan Taggart, a Young Farmer from Northern Ireland who lost sight in one eye from a farm accident," Ms Berkeley added.
"Every time we show his story as part of our farm safety training at colleges and universities, it has an impact.
"This made us think that if we could bring his story to life in some way, this would allow us to bring the experience to more farmers and farm workers and make them appreciate the importance of PPE and help them to work smarter and safer."
Working in collaboration with Sugar Rush, a Northern Ireland mobile app and software development agency, Yellow Wellies have created three scenarios which offer users a choice of whether to wear eye protection or not and what could happen based on their decision.
"We created this tool to be used both at shows and in the classroom," the Farm Safety Foundation manager said.
"We know that young people learn in different ways and while watching someone's story can have impact, allowing someone to experience it for themselves virtually and safely takes it to another level.
"We believe in championing alternative learning methods as a way of engaging the next generation of farmers and equipping them for their chosen career.
"For a generation raised on interactive technologies, we really believe that using VR in our sessions can help encourage active engagement and contribute to driving safer behaviours in the industry.
"As the UK's leading machinery show, LAMMA is the perfect venue for the launch of our new VR experience and we will continue to use it at agricultural shows and events throughout the year.
"Those who visit us at the show and give the VR a try on the day can also collect a free pair of safety glasses from us!"
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