Back to Contents -- Acknowledgements -- List of participants -- Introduction -- 1. Objectives and scope -- 1.1. Objectives -- 1.2. Scope -- 2. The characteristics of OSH in agriculture -- 2.1. Employment and OSH -- 2.2. Addressing the challenges -- 3.  Developing a national framework for OSH in agriculture -- 3.1. National policy, systems and programmes for OSH -- 3.2. Competent authority -- 3.3. Labour inspectorates -- 3.4. Employers -- 3.5. Workers -- 3.6. Manufacturers and suppliers -- 3.7. Contractors and labour supply agents -- 4.  Occupational safety and health management systems -- 4.1. OSH management systems -- 4.2. Hazard identification and risk assessment -- 4.3. Planning and implementation of controls -- 4.4. Monitoring, evaluation and improvement -- 5. Competence, education and training -- 5.1. General -- 5.2. Competence of managers and supervisors -- 5.3. Competence of workers -- 6. Personal protective equipment -- 6.1. General provisions -- 6.2. Helmets and other head protection -- 6.3. Face and eye protection -- 6.4. Upper and lower limb protection -- 6.5. Respiratory protective equipment (RPE) -- 6.6. Hearing protection -- 6.7. Protection from falls from height -- 6.8. Hygiene facilities and decontamination -- 7. Contingency and emergency preparedness -- 7.1. General -- 7.2. Escape and rescue -- 8. Machinery and work equipment safety -- 8.1. Introduction -- 8.2. Tractors and all-terrain vehicles -- 8.2.1. Hazard description -- 8.2.2. Risk assessment -- 8.2.3. Elimination of the hazard -- 8.2.4. Engineering controls -- 8.2.5. Safe working systems and procedures -- 8.3. Other agricultural machinery, equipment and tools -- 8.3.1. Hazard description -- 8.3.2. Risk assessment -- 8.3.3. Elimination of the hazard -- 8.3.4. Engineering controls -- 8.3.5. Safe working systems and procedures -- 8.3.6. The use of PPE (see also Chapter 6).

8.4.  Control of hazards created by stored and other energy sources -- 8.4.1. Hazard description -- 8.4.2. Assessment of risk -- 8.4.3. Elimination of the hazard -- 8.4.4. Engineering controls -- 8.4.5. Safe working systems and procedures -- 8.4.6. The use of PPE -- 9. Ergonomics and the handling of materials -- 9.1. Introduction -- 9.2. Hazard description -- 9.2.1. Routes of exposure -- 9.2.2. Principal health effects -- 9.2.3. Special risks to consider -- 9.3. Ergonomic control strategies -- 9.3.1. General principles -- 9.3.2.  Elimination of ergonomic hazard through engineering controls or substitution -- 9.3.3.  Control of ergonomic hazards through engineering and administrative minimization of impact -- 9.3.4.  Minimization of ergonomic hazard through information and training of workers -- 9.3.5.  Minimization of ergonomic hazard through use of PPE -- 10. Chemicals -- 10.1. Introduction -- 10.2. Hazard description -- 10.2.1. Routes of exposure -- 10.2.2. Principal health effects -- 10.2.3. Risks to special populations -- 10.3. Control strategies -- 10.3.1. General principles -- 10.3.2. Elimination/substitution -- 10.3.3. Engineering and administrative controls -- 10.3.4. Information and training -- 10.3.5. Personal protection -- 10.3.6. Workplace and worker hygiene -- 10.3.7. Emergency procedures and first aid 10 -- 10.4. Transport, storage and disposal of pesticides -- 10.5. Exposure during pesticide handling -- 10.5.1. Mixing and loading -- 10.5.2. Application -- 10.6. Exposure during re-entry -- 10.6.1. Normal re-entry into sprayed areas -- 10.6.2. Early re-entry into sprayed areas -- 10.7. Medical and health surveillance of workers 12 -- 10.7.1. General principles -- 10.7.2. Use of results -- 10.7.3. Keeping of medical records -- 10.7.4. Cholinesterase monitoring -- 10.8. Atmospheric and environmental control.

10.8.1. Aerial spraying and the off-target movement of pesticides -- 10.8.2. Protection of water sources and the general environment -- 11.  Dusts and other particulate matter and other biological exposures -- 11.1. Summary -- 11.2. Dusts -- 11.2.1. Hazard description -- 11.2.2. Risk assessment -- 11.2.3. Elimination of the hazard -- 11.2.4. Engineering controls -- 11.2.5. Safe working systems and procedures -- 11.2.6. The use of PPE -- 11.3. Animal wastes -- 11.3.1. Hazard description -- 11.3.2. Risk assessment -- 11.3.3. Elimination of the hazard -- 11.3.4. Engineering controls -- 11.3.5. Safe working systems and procedures -- 11.3.6. The use of PPE -- 11.4. Zoonoses -- 11.4.1. Hazard description -- 11.4.2. Risk assessment -- 11.4.3. Elimination of the hazard -- 11.4.4. Engineering controls -- 11.4.5. Safe working systems and procedures -- 11.4.6. The use of PPE -- 11.5. Needle-stick injuries and sharps exposures -- 11.5.1. Hazard description -- 11.5.2. Risk assessment -- 11.5.3. Elimination of the hazard -- 11.5.4. Engineering controls -- 11.5.5. Safe working systems and procedures -- 11.5.6. The use of PPE -- 11.6. Injuries due to wild animals -- 11.6.1. Hazard description -- 11.6.2. Risk assessment -- 11.6.3. Engineering controls -- 11.6.4. Safe working systems and procedures -- 11.6.5. The use of PPE -- 11.7.  Vector-borne diseases and parasitic infections in the agricultural environment -- 11.7.1. Hazard description -- 11.7.2. Risk assessment -- 11.7.3. Elimination of the hazard -- 11.7.4. Engineering controls -- 11.7.5. Safe working systems and procedures -- 11.8. The use of PPE -- 12. Noise -- 12.1. Introduction -- 12.2. Hazard description -- 12.3. Risk assessment -- 12.4. Engineering controls -- 12.5.  Safe working systems and procedures and the use of PPE -- 12.6.  Workers' health surveillance, training and information -- 13. Vibration.

13.1. Introduction -- 13.2. Hazard description -- 13.3. Risk assessment -- 13.4. Engineering controls -- 13.5. Safe working systems and procedures and PPE -- 13.6.  Workers' health surveillance, training and information -- 14. Agricultural installations -- 14.1. Summary -- 14.2. Risk assessment -- 14.3. Design, construction and maintenance -- 14.3.1. Hazard description -- 14.3.2.  Engineering controls -- 14.4. Slips, trips and falls -- 14.4.1. Hazard description -- 14.4.2. Risk assessment -- 14.4.3. Engineering controls -- 14.4.4. Safe work systems and procedures -- 14.5. Respiratory hazards -- 14.5.1. Hazard description -- 14.5.2. Risk assessment -- 14.5.3. Engineering controls and the use of PPE -- 14.6. Farm workshop safety -- 14.6.1. Hazard description -- 14.6.2. Risk assessment -- 14.6.3. Elimination of the hazard and engineering controls -- 14.7. Asbestos and insulation wools -- 14.7.1. Hazard description -- 14.7.2. Risk assessment -- 14.7.3. Elimination of the hazard and engineering controls -- 14.7.4 Safe systems of work and procedures -- 14.8. Fire safety -- 14.8.1. Hazard description -- 14.8.2. Risk assessment -- 14.8.3. Engineering controls and safe working procedures -- 14.9. Spontaneous combustion -- 14.9.1. Hazard description -- 14.9.2. Risk assessment -- 14.9.3. Elimination of the hazard and engineering controls -- 14.10. Animal handling -- 14.10.1. Hazard description -- 14.10.2. Risk assessment -- 14.10.3. Engineering controls -- 14.11. Confined spaces -- 14.11.1. Hazard description -- 14.11.2. Risk assessment -- 14.11.3. Engineering controls and safe working procedures -- 14.12. Machinery and equipment -- 14.12.1. Hazard description -- 14.12.2. Elimination of the hazard and control strategies -- 15.  Transport of persons, equipment and materials -- 15.1. General -- 15.2. Hazard identification -- 15.3. Control strategies.

15.3.1. Training and information -- 15.3.2. Design considerations -- 15.3.3. Prevention and control -- 15.3.4. Work organization -- 15.4. Safe transport on public roads -- 16. Animal production -- 16.1. Animal handling -- 16.2. Hazard description -- 16.3. Risk assessment -- 16.4. Elimination of the hazard -- 16.5. Control of the hazard through engineering controls -- 16.6.  Minimization of hazards by means of systems and protocols -- 16.7. The use of PPE -- 17. Weather and the environment -- 17.1. Weather and environmental factors -- 17.2. Thermal exposure -- 17.2.1. Hazard description -- 17.2.2. Assessment of risk -- 17.2.3. Control strategies -- 17.2.4. Thermal comfort: Heat stress -- 17.2.5. Thermal comfort: Cold stress -- 17.3. Other environmental exposure -- 17.3.1. Ultraviolet light radiation -- 18. Welfare facilities -- 18.1. Water -- 18.2. Toilets -- 18.3. Food services -- 18.4. First aid and medical care 18 -- 18.5. Temporary shelter -- 18.6. Housing -- 18.7. Day-care facilities -- 18.8. Role of occupational health services -- 19. Workplace wellness programmes -- 19.1. Social protection -- 19.2. Working hours -- 19.3. Alcohol- and drug-related problems -- 19.4. HIV/AIDS -- 19.5. Workplace violence, harassment and bullying -- 19.6. Smoking at work -- 20. Outreach -- 20.1. Introduction -- 20.2. Competent authority -- 20.3. Social partners -- 20.4. Tripartite cooperation and collaboration -- 20.5.  Other partners: Farmers' associations, agricultural shows, etc. -- 20.6. Media campaigns -- 20.7. National OSH programmes 20 -- Glossary -- Bibliography -- Appendix I -- Workers' health surveillance (adapted from the ILO Technical and ethical guidelines for workers' health surveillance, 1998) -- Appendix II -- Surveillance of the working environment (according to the Occupational Health Services Recommendation, 1985 (No. 171) -- Appendix III.

Standards with regard to occupational exposure limits for hazardous substances, heat and cold, noise and vibration and the assessment and monitoring of agricultural hazards related to machinery.