Catálogo de publicaciones - libros

This chapter consolidates a compliance strategy for the main physical hazards of the workplace. One should not forget, however, that the main reason for implementing such programs should not be to avoid fines, but to safeguard workers, some of whom may be friends or family members.

Worldwide, children and adolescents continue to make significant contributions to the agricultural work force, but the farm as a place for work and for play can be hazardous for them. Technology has altered the hazards in many developing economies, from increased potential for vectors of disease to increased exposure to pesticides. The increased used of heavy equipment will similarly shift the risks associated with farm work among children and adolescents. Progress toward recognition of hazards inherent in child labor has reduced the risks of farm injury in developed countries; that recognition needs to be applied in developing economies. Strategies need to be devised that address the different farm tasks and cultures in order to have a significant impact on health.

The manifestation of stressors and associated coping strategies appears to vary according to whether individuals own or operate farms or whether individuals are hired as farm workers. It is apparent that farmers are at risk for the development of stress and other mental health difficulties such as anxiety, depression, and suicide.

Almost all of the studies on the mental health of hired farm workers have been conducted in the last 6 years. Although this literature is more scant than the farmer literature in terms of quantity, the research on stress and mental health in migrant farm workers has been conducted in a methodologically rigorous manner.

Many of these studies produced descriptive findings. Less common were studies that attempted to look at stress, coping, and mental health in a theoretical context. Prospective research is thus necessary to assess the interaction of stress and coping in agricultural workers over time. Also needed is research that looks at the interplay of mental health and physical health over time, given that the literature suggests that severe stress has a negative impact on both facets of health. Intensive, longitudinal work in the area will provide for the type of applied knowledge that will help in the generation of mental health interventions for agricultural workers.

Education and training are essential components of a comprehensive effort to enhance the safety and health of agricultural workplaces. The transfer of knowledge using sound educational methodologies will not be replaced either by more intensive research efforts or by implementation of new safety and health regulations. As new knowledge on causative factors is acquired and new regulations are implemented, the demand for educational and training programs that are unique to agriculture and its work force will increase. There remains tremendous opportunity for educators to play a significant role in ensuring that workers in agriculture are equipped with the best knowledge and tools to perform their jobs in a safe and healthy manner.

This chapter consolidates a compliance strategy for the main physical hazards of the workplace. One should not forget, however, that the main reason for implementing such programs should not be to avoid fines, but to safeguard workers, some of whom may be friends or family members.

The health of agriculture varies from robust to moribund. The developed world struggles with diseases of excess nutrition, while developing nations deal with millions of deaths annually from starvation. The world has the capacity to provide enough food for all of its inhabitants, but individual productivity, local politics and structures, national priorities and interconnections, and international trade patterns make distribution inequitable, difficult, and sometimes dangerous and ineffective.

The manifestation of stressors and associated coping strategies appears to vary according to whether individuals own or operate farms or whether individuals are hired as farm workers. It is apparent that farmers are at risk for the development of stress and other mental health difficulties such as anxiety, depression, and suicide.

Almost all of the studies on the mental health of hired farm workers have been conducted in the last 6 years. Although this literature is more scant than the farmer literature in terms of quantity, the research on stress and mental health in migrant farm workers has been conducted in a methodologically rigorous manner.

Many of these studies produced descriptive findings. Less common were studies that attempted to look at stress, coping, and mental health in a theoretical context. Prospective research is thus necessary to assess the interaction of stress and coping in agricultural workers over time. Also needed is research that looks at the interplay of mental health and physical health over time, given that the literature suggests that severe stress has a negative impact on both facets of health. Intensive, longitudinal work in the area will provide for the type of applied knowledge that will help in the generation of mental health interventions for agricultural workers.

Education and training are essential components of a comprehensive effort to enhance the safety and health of agricultural workplaces. The transfer of knowledge using sound educational methodologies will not be replaced either by more intensive research efforts or by implementation of new safety and health regulations. As new knowledge on causative factors is acquired and new regulations are implemented, the demand for educational and training programs that are unique to agriculture and its work force will increase. There remains tremendous opportunity for educators to play a significant role in ensuring that workers in agriculture are equipped with the best knowledge and tools to perform their jobs in a safe and healthy manner.

There is ample evidence that agricultural workers and those who reside in agricultural areas have an increased risk for a variety of adverse reproductive health outcomes. Both paternal and maternal exposures to biologic and chemical agents and maternal exposure to physical factors must be recognized and controlled to prevent these adverse effects on fertility and on the next generation of children. Strategies should include reduction or elimination of chemical agents whenever possible, proper personal protective equipment, improved work practices and hygiene, worker education, avoidance of biologic exposures, and reduction in the intensity and duration of maternal physical labor.

Living on farms or doing farm work is associated with a number of health risks, some of which may also pertain to liver or kidney. However, apart from some specific but rare diseases or some unusual local clusters, liver or kidney disease in general is not a major cause of concern in rural settings. One cause for this reduced specific illness frequency as compared with urban populations is the reduced presence of some classical behavioral risk factors, notably smoking and alcohol consumption. The highest risks for liver and kidney disease in farming are due to biological hazards. Toxicological health risks, where present, are not primarily targeted at liver or kidney. This does of course not mean that there are no relevant toxicological risks present in agriculture. Occupational hygiene, including appropriate personal protective equipment, is essential in the handling of toxic chemicals in agriculture, as well as elsewhere.