The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work currently highlights a new report on trends and implications for workplace safety and health in agriculture and forestry. ATB-scientist Dr. Martina Jakob is co-author.
The report provides a snapshot of the findings of EU-OSHA’s foresight project on the organisational and technological changes facing the agriculture and forestry sector, and the resulting challenges.
Occupational safety and health risks in Europe’s agriculture and forestry sector threaten its long-term viability. Agriculture and forestry are among the most dangerous professions with a high level of accidents affecting the sustainability and viability of the sector. Emerging threats like COVID-19 impose addititional health risks.
This publication explores the occupational safety and health challenges facing the sector.
It looks at new and emerging opportunities and risks resulting from, for instance, the emergence of digitization, smart farming technologies and climate change, and the implications for occupational safety and health. It examines socio-economic issues and difficulties facing the sector in managing occupational safety and health and adapting to societal pressures and labour market developments.
The findings highlight the need to address the sector’s often atypical employment practices and the lack of transparent, robust reporting on accidents and ill health. Finally, several recommendations are made for tackling the issues identified and ensuring the sector’s sustainability.
Review of the future of agriculture and occupational safety and health (OSH)
Foresight on new and emerging risks in OSH
Authors:
Alun Jones (CIHEAM International Centre for Advanced Agronomic Studies)
Martina Jakob (Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering and Bioeconomy e.V. ATB)
John McNamara (Teagasc -Irish Agriculture and Food Development Authority)
contributions from Dr Andrea Teutenberg (Kuratorium für Waldarbeit und Forsttechnik e.V.).
The report can be downloaded here: https://osha.europa.eu/en
EU-OSHA is the European Union information agency for occupational safety and health. Its work contributes to the European Commission’s Strategic Framework for Safety and Health at work 2014-2020 and other relevant EU strategies and programmes, such as Europe 2020.