A new initiative designed to educate and save lives on Welsh farms has been launched at the Royal Welsh Winter Fair.
The Wales Farm Safety Partnership (WFSP), in collaboration with Wales YFC and game design company Jengyd, has unveiled a new “Escape Room in a Box” game, designed to make farm safety training interactive, engaging, and impactful for young people.
The game, which transforms the traditional concept of an escape room into a portable table-top challenge, will be made available to all Young Farmers’ Club (YFC) counties across Wales. It is designed to be used during club nights as a fun yet educational activity that challenges members to solve safety-related puzzles to “unlock” the box.
The collaboration aims to shift the culture of farm safety among the younger generation by moving away from traditional lectures and tick-box exercises. Instead, the Jengyd game uses “gamification”—applying game-design elements to non-game contexts—to encourage teamwork, problem-solving, and critical thinking regarding on-farm hazards.
Meleri Jones, Wales Farm Safety Partnership (WFSP) Coordinator, said:
“Education is the most powerful tool we have to reduce the rate of accidents on our farms. However, we know that to reach young people effectively, we must innovate. This collaboration with Wales YFC and Jengyd allows us to deliver vital safety messages in a way that is interactive and memorable. If this game helps one young farmer think twice before taking a risk, it will have been a success.”
The launch comes amidst sobering statistics regarding safety in the agricultural sector. According to the latest figures from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE):
- 27 people lost their lives on farms in Great Britain in 2023/24.
- Agriculture continues to have the poorest safety record of any key industry, with a fatal injury rate approximately 21 times higher than the all-industry average.
- The most common causes of fatal injuries remain moving vehicles, cattle, and falls from height.
Mared Rand Jones, Chief Executive of Wales YFC, said:
“Our members are the future of Welsh farming, and their safety is our top priority. We are thrilled to roll out this resource to every county federation. It provides our clubs with a ready-made, high-quality activity for club nights that is genuinely fun to play, while sparking serious conversations about how we keep ourselves and our friends safe.”
The game has been tailored specifically for the agricultural context. Teams must navigate scenarios to crack codes that reinforce best practices and legal safety requirements and is now available for distribution to YFC counties, and clubs are encouraged to schedule a “Safety Night” in their upcoming programmes to utilise the resource.
