Safety and Health of Workers: Exposure to Dust, Noise and Vibrations

Working in nut farms results in the exposure of workers to different risks for their safety and health. The use of agricultural machines exposes workers to risks which can have a physical (noise, vibrations), chemical (dust and chemical agents in the air, smoke) and biological nature (spores, micro-organisms and pollen which are conveyed with the dust). The harvest of nuts is different from the harvest of other fruits in that it is carried out with machines, developed for that specific purpose often by an artisan manufacturer. For this reason, and because of the high concentration of work which characterizes the harvest, the research focused on this cultural operation and on the main risk factors for the health of the workers: noise, vibrations and dust. The evaluation of exposure to noise during harvest was performed with the aid of integrator phonometers, through which the sound pressure levels were measured in relation to the exposed workers' hearing. The applied methodology was the one according to law n.195/06, Italian reception of the directive 2003/10/ CE. Evaluation of the risk given by exposure to vibrations for the workers was carried out separately for vibrations transmitted to the whole body (WBV - Whole Body Vibrations) and those transmitted to the system hand-arm (HAV - Hand Arm Vibrations). The evaluations were performed according to decree law 187/05, Italian reception of the directive 2002/44/CE, based on norms ISO 5349 and ISO 2631. Concerning exposure to inorganic dust, tests on different harvest machines were carried out, with the objective of evaluating the exposure of workers. The samplings were performed with the aid of aspiring pumps SKC and "cone-shaped" samplers for breathable dust, on cellulose filters.