Despite decreasing numbers of people employed in agriculture across Europe, farming has one of the worst fatal accident rates in the European Union, comparable only with that of construction.
According to Eurostat data available for the old EU 15 Member States, in the years 2000-2003 as many as 2,473 workers died as a result of an accident at work in agriculture.
Only a third of workers in agriculture feel that they are very well informed about risks at work, the least of all sectors surveyed.
“Too many people working in agriculture are being injured, in many cases fatally, or suffer illness caused by their work. The awareness of risks and prevention measures among farmers needs to be improved dramatically,” said Hans-Horst Konkolewsky, director of the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work. “Such measures do exist and can be implemented effectively even on small, family farms. We hope the Agency's new web section will serve as a useful online reference for those looking for ways to improve safety and health in agriculture.'
The new section pools information on safety and health in agriculture from EU Member States and provides examples of how safety and health risks on farms can be successfully tackled. Issues presented include musculoskeletal disorders, workplace transport, overhead power lines, dangerous substances, biological agents and risks related to noise at work.
For more information, visit http://osha.eu.int
