Definition of a Methodology for Gradual and Sustainable Safety Improvements on Farms and Its Preliminary Applications

Cividino, Sirio; Pergher, Gianfranco; Gubiani, Rino; Moreschi, Carlo; Broi, Ugo Da; Vello, Michela; Rinaldi, Fabiano

doi:10.3390/agriculture8010007

Cited by 10 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…The data shows that the average surface area used for vineyard cultivation in Italy is about 1.7 hectares per company; so, while there are many large companies operating in this sector, the majority of producers are small-sized and family run companies. These small companies are also regarded as critical with respect to health and safety issues [47,48], because they find it difficult to comply with safety requirements due to their lack of resources [49,50]. In addition, we have to consider that the average age of Italian farmers is rather high compared to the other EU countries; in fact, according to official statistics the majority of agricultural holders (i.e., more than 50%) are more than 60 years old [46].…”

Section: Context Of the Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

Applying Hierarchical Task Analysis to Depict Human Safety Errors during Pesticide Use in Vineyard Cultivation

2019

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The use of pesticides in agriculture is a significant problem at a global level, not only from an environmental perspective but also from the farmers’ health and safety point of view. In the literature, several studies have discussed the safe behavior and risk perception of farmers. However, human errors when dealing with pesticides and the related work equipment are rarely considered. To reduce this research gap, a study of the human safety errors in pesticide use based on hierarchical task analysis is proposed. In particular, such a bottom-up approach was applied to vineyard cultivation and considered all the activities that operators carry out when using pesticides. The results of this study showed that most of the identified human errors were action errors, i.e., potential failures of the operator in completing the activity successfully. In addition, retrieval and checking errors resulted in being rather common. These outputs shed light on the gap between the information received and the practical need for operators to reduce their failure to perform specific activities. Therefore, while the present study augments current knowledge on the safe use of pesticides, further research is needed to address human errors in agricultural activities, thus extending these results to a larger sample size as well as to other cultivation types.

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Section: Context Of the Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

Applying Hierarchical Task Analysis to Depict Human Safety Errors during Pesticide Use in Vineyard Cultivation

2019

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“…Agriculture is a primary sector in which workers from all over the world suffer work-related diseases or accidents every year [18], so it is necessary to implement actions to achieve safety at work [19,20].…”

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confidence: 99%

“…The horticultural sector is one of the industries that presents greater risk (especially for MSDs) for its workers because most of the tasks are manual [8,[21][22][23]. Agriculture is a primary sector in which workers from all over the world suffer work-related diseases or accidents every year [18], so it is necessary to implement actions to achieve safety at work [19,20].…”

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confidence: 99%

Repetitive Movements in Melon Cultivation Workers under Greenhouses

et al. 2019

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Musculoskeletal disorders cause serious problems that affect workers in many sectors. The objective of this study is the ergonomic analysis of melon cultivation farmers in Almeria-type greenhouses. For this, the rapid upper limb assessment (RULA) method has been applied after carrying out a detailed process of observing the farmers’ tasks. The study shows that 65% of the postures have a very-high-risk level, 26% high, 9% average, and no posture is found with a low risk. They also show that in 69.57% of the postures, the upper limbs are less affected than the others such as the neck, trunk, and lower limbs. Measures are proposed to improve the working conditions for workers.

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“…Socioeconomic conditions and land management choices combine to affect changes in long-term wildfire regimes in Mediterranean-type ecosystems. Identification of specific drivers and dynamics at the local level is needed to inform land resource planning and to enhance wildfire management efficiency [14,[16][17][18][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28]. Therefore, investigating feedback relationships between wildfire and socioeconomic conditions at local and regional scales can reveal consistency in spatial and temporal patterns influencing wildfire frequency, intensity, and severity.…”

Section: Case Report Articlementioning

confidence: 99%

“…The most widespread sprayers are hand-held, high-pressure devices, which may expose operators to high levels of pesticides. This paper, also with the aim to lead towards a more sustainable use of greenhouses in agricultural productions, including some aspects of workers' safety [26][27][28][29][30], reports the results of experimental tests aimed at measuring the amount of the mixture deposited on the worker's body (potential dermal exposure, PDE) during pesticide applications to tomato and strawberry plants in a protected environment. Experimental tests on tomatoes were carried out considering two plant growth stages (flowering and senescence), two types of spray lance, two working pressures (1 and 2 MPa), and two walking directions (forwards and backwards).…”

Section: Article On the Sustainability Issuesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Small-Scale Energy Conversion of Agro-Forestry Residues for Local Benefits and European Competitiveness

et al. 2018

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2 of 12 extent, though, according to the assessments made above about the potential of biomass as a source of energy, this share could be considerably higher than it is today [4,9,11]. From the shares of the currently used fossil energy carriers and the calculated biomass potential, the maximum reachable share of biomass to cover the energy demand can be calculated. The following enumeration shows the results of such calculations: (i) Biomass resources below 10 % of the fossil energy supply in the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg, United Kingdom, Germany, and Italy; (ii) biomass resources between 10 and 30% of the fossil primary energy consumption in Denmark, Spain, France, Greece, Portugal and Austria; (iii) biomass resources above 30% of the fossil primary energy consumption in Ireland, Sweden, and Finland. Additionally, the share of the already-used biomass is analyzed against the background of the overall available biomass resources. This shows that, in nearly all of the EU-countries, only slightly more than 25% of the available biomass resources are currently used. In most countries, the share is even significantly lower. It is only higher in countries where the energetic use of biomass is promoted by governmental measures. The increasing demand for energy and related environmental concerns are the main drivers for the strong interest in biomass residues in the agro-forestry sector and in appropriate small-scale energy conversion. Biomass residues (e.g., prunings, thinnings and forest residues) constitute a highly promising (and currently largely under-used) feed stock with a significant potential to be converted into useful end products. This Special Issue proposal has the overall aim of developing a network around technologies for small-scale energy conversion of forestry residues for local benefit and European competitiveness. The following targets will be addressed: (i) to improve knowledge of different energy conversion processes for forest residues; (ii) to develop an expert group on forest biomass supply chains; (iii) to identify best practice for sampling of available forest biomass residues; and (iv) to create agro-forestry-scale energy districts. The purpose of this Special Issue is to publish high-quality research papers, as well as review articles, addressing recent advances on systems, processes, and materials for work safety, health, and environment. Original, high-quality contributions that have not yet been published, or that are not currently under review by other journals or peer-reviewed conferences, are sought.

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Definition of a Methodology for Gradual and Sustainable Safety Improvements on Farms and Its Preliminary Applications

Cited by 10 publications

References 13 publications

Applying Hierarchical Task Analysis to Depict Human Safety Errors during Pesticide Use in Vineyard Cultivation

Applying Hierarchical Task Analysis to Depict Human Safety Errors during Pesticide Use in Vineyard Cultivation

Repetitive Movements in Melon Cultivation Workers under Greenhouses

Small-Scale Energy Conversion of Agro-Forestry Residues for Local Benefits and European Competitiveness

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