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Occupational Health in Agricultural Introduction: Agricultural is oldest occupation, perhaps as old as human civilization. Even today, with industrialization and information age, how much food can product is still the mainly issue for each nation. Especially, for the low economic developing nation, agricultural is the major national economy contributor, for example India, Brazil and South Korea. In estimate 1.3 billion workers work in Agricultural production, which employ nearly half of the world¡¯s labor force. From the estimate of International Labor Office, Agricultural is one of the most hazardous sectors of activity in both developed and developing countries. In each year, at least 170,000 agricultural workers are killed. This show that agriculture is least twice the risk of dying on the job as compare with other set of occupation. Agricultural mortality rates remain high in past decade as compare to other sectors. Million of the agriculture workers get seriously injured in the workplace by accident with agricultural machinery. Or poison by pesticides and other agricultural-chemical. Although, Agricultural is most dangerous occupation compare to all other sector occupation. But in most countries only some categories of agricultural workers are covered by national legislation, employment injury benefits or insurance schemes. This mean, most of the agriculture worker who work with no any form of social protection. In developing nation, Effective enforcement is very poor due to insufficient of labor inspection, lack of understanding and training on hazards. Furthermore, agricultural workers are not subject to any international standard that comprehensively with personal health and work safety. Health and safety service in the agriculture sector is limited. Specially, for prevent the disease. The frequent use of pesticides, herbicides and fungicides that poses a threat to agricultural workers¡¯ health. Consequence, larger number people get disease or long-term illness in agricultural worker. Occupational hazards and health issues can arise at any phase of agricultural production such as: Sowing, Harvest, Packing, storage and transportation At the follow, I would descript those problems in detail. Definition of Agriculture: ¡°Agriculture was mean to all form of activities connect growing, harvesting, and primary processing of all types of crops, with breeding, raising, and caring for animals, and with tending gardens and nurseries.¡± (This definition adopted from the bookwork and safety in developing country) Definition of Occupation health ¡°The promotion and maintenance of the highest degree of physical, mental, and social well-being of workers in all occupation; the prevention among workers of departures from health caused by their working condition; the protection of workers in their employment from risks resulting from factor adverse to health; the placing and maintenance of worker in an occupational environment adapted to this physiological and psychological equipment;¡± (the definition direct copy from the first joint ILO/WHO Committee on Occupational Health.) Occupational Health Services Occupational health services focus on work and the workplace environment of the worker. The services are aimed to prevent any adverse effects of work and the workplace environment, mental and social well being of the worker. The service also concerned with worker health, such as to determine and prevention of diseases or hazards in the working environment that would impair the working capacity of workers. Agricultural workers in developing nation In most developing nation agricultural is major economic activity. Larger number of labor force is employ in large farm, or tradition farm working with small pieces of land. The agricultural worker could be classified into a number of categories. As 1.Rural landless worker who usually displaced from overpopulated areas, they work on other people¡¯s land for small wages. 2. Small farm owner who produce food primarily for their family needs, with little surplus for sale.
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