Occupational risks of work in the agricultural sector: a systematic literature review

Junkes, Valderice Herth; Matos, Camila; Matias, Gustavo de Souza; Lermen, Fernando Henrique; Patriarca, Riccardo; Siqueira, Hugo Valadares; Lenzi, Giane Gonçalves

doi:10.1590/0103-6513.20230042

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Systematic Review • Prod. 34 • 2024 • https://doi.org/10.1590/0103-6513.20230042 linkcopy

Occupational risks of work in the agricultural sector: a systematic literature review

Authorship SCIMAGO INSTITUTIONS RANKINGS

Paper aims This study aims to identify the occupational risks to which workers in the agricultural sector are exposed during the development of their activities on rural properties.

Originality This study’s originality lies in filling a gap in identifying the main risks to which workers in the agricultural sector are exposed. The study identifies which risks they are exposed to in the literature.

Research method A systematic review of the literature over the last five years (2017-2021) revealed 56 articles that identified at least one occupational risk to workers in the agricultural sector.

Main findings The bibliometric analysis indicated that the studies are divided into agricultural (33.9%) and animal (66.1%) production. Thus, the content analysis indicated that the most frequent agricultural production risk is the chemical risk due to the high use of pesticides and in animal production is the biological risk due to workers' contact with animals. It should be noted that the leading cause identified in these studies is the lack of personal safety equipment and training.

Implications for theory and practice The implications include advancing theoretical and practical knowledge concern decision-making regarding new work safety practices for professionals involved in the agricultural sector.

Keywords
Agricultural production; Animal production; Risk analysis

Author	Activity	Occupational Risks	Type of exposure	Problems cited
Ilgaz & Gözüm (2018)	Agriculture	Chemical	Use of pesticides	Colorectal cancer
Boulanger et al. (2017)	Agriculture	Chemical	Use of pesticides	Bladder cancer
Rumchev et al. (2019)	Agriculture	Chemical	Dust exposure	Breathing problems
Zhou et al. (2021)	Agriculture	Chemical	Use of pesticides	Musculoskeletal and nervous system diseases
Gilbey et al. (2018)	Agriculture	Chemical	Dust exposure	Breathing problems
Boulanger et al. (2018)	Agriculture	Chemical	Use of pesticides	Lung cancer
Bilski (2017)	Agriculture	Physical	Excessive noise (noise) when using vehicles/cabins used in activities (tractors, loaders, combine harvesters, and ventilated mixers)	Ear organ damage, psychological and mental reactions (headaches, drowsiness, excessive fatigue, sluggishness), interrupted attention, decreased vision
Tigchelaar et al. (2020)	Agriculture	Physical	Prolonged exposure to the sun	Excessive heat
Mac et al. (2019)	Agriculture	Physical	Physical Risk	Stress
Mac et al. (2021)	Agriculture	Physical	Extreme heat	Fainting, confusion, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, headache
Raczkiewicz et al. (2019)	Agriculture	Ergonomic	Lifting weights using excessive force while working, and exposure to high temperatures	Low back, cervical, and thoracic pain
Pinzke & Lavesson (2018)	Agriculture	Ergonomic	Inappropriate positions during activities and positions practiced for long periods	Low back and back pain
Koroma & Kangbai (2020)	Agriculture	Mechanical	Handling of machines and tools without training	Injuries and falls
Zago et al. (2018)	Agriculture	Chemical and mechanical	Exposure to pesticides and nicotine; manual work with little mechanization	Cuts, bruises, fractures, amputations, loss of movement, blindness due to trauma
Pate & Görücü (2020)	Agriculture	Mechanics and chemicals	Handling of vehicles and tools, causing falls and accidents, and use of pesticides	Running over (child playing), Child injured by being next to the machine (tractor), accidents with related tools
Parvez & Shahriar (2018)	Agriculture	Mechanics and ergonomics	Handling vehicles and hand tools, inappropriate movements, and postures during activities	Skin cuts, skin scraping, superficial vein cuts, toe or finger cuts and muscle strains, limb cuts, deep vein cuts, permanent loss of any part of the body, and infections in injured limbs
Kongtip et al. (2018)	Agriculture	Chemical, physical, ergonomic, and mechanical	Use of pesticides and insecticides, lifting weights, improper posture during activities, falls on slippery surfaces, injuries from machinery and equipment, injuries from animals, excessive heat	Asthma, allergies, diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, cancer, thyroid, arthritis, nasal congestion, runny nose, headache, dizziness, nausea/vomiting, blurred vision, cramping, sweating, muscle pain
Park et al. (2020)	Animal	Chemical	Exposure to gases, ammonia, and hydrogen sulfide	Asphyxia, skin problems, nausea, headaches, and body aches
Buiarelli et al. (2019)	Animal	Chemical	Dust and accidental poisoning	Diagnosis of lung problems, cancer risks
Kates et al. (2019)	Animal	Biological	Exposure to bacteria and particles	Contamination due to bacteria virus transmitted by animals
Meisner et al. (2019)	Animal	Biological	Exposure to disease	Tuberculosis
Dang-Xuan et al. (2017)	Animal	Biological	Exposure zoonotic diseases	Health problems such as cough, fever, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting
de Groot et al. (2020)	Animal	Biological	Exposure to dust and particles	Worsening of patients with respiratory problems (asthma) and inflammatory-triggering
de Rooij et al. (2019)	Animal	Biological	Exposure to dust and particles	Breathing difficulties (asthma)
Gower et al. (2017)	Animal	Biological	Exposure to schistosomiasis and infectious diseases	Fever, headache, weakness, muscle pain, diarrhea, other symptoms
Greter et al. (2017)	Animal	Biological	Exposure to schistosomiasis	Fever, headache, weakness, muscle pain, diarrhea, other symptoms
Sichewo et al. (2020)	Animal	Biological	Exposure to zoonotic diseases and microorganisms	Tuberculosis
Starič et al. (2020)	Animal	Biological	Exposure to zoonotic diseases and microorganisms transmitted by ingestion or inhalation	Diarrhea, fever, vomiting, cramps, abdominal pain, skin rashes, among other symptoms
Bachelet (2018)	Animal	Mechanical	Accidents from exposure to work or transport	Fatalities occurring during work or commuting
Beattie et al. (2018)	Animal	Mechanical	Exposure to animals	Refutation of animals causing accidents with musculoskeletal injuries, trauma, and fatalities
Berney et al. (2017)	Animal	Mechanical	Electric shocks, exposure to animals, machinery, and equipment unprotected	Spinal cord injuries
Holte et al. (2019)	Animal	Ergonomic	Stress, incorrect posture, and movements	Musculoskeletal, traumatic, stress, and mental fatigue
Nuvey et al. (2020)	Animal	Ergonomic	Exposure to Stressful Situations	Depression, anxiety, and stress
Sato et al. (2020)	Animal	Ergonomic	Long working hours, repetitive efforts, repetitive work, and stress	Mental health issues, depression
Freidl et al. (2017)	Animal	Chemical and biological	Exposure to dust, particles, bacteria, fungi, endotoxins	Fever worsening, breathing difficulties, pneumonia
Baliatsas et al. (2020)	Animal	Chemical and biological	Dust, exposure to microorganisms and parasites	Diagnosis of respiratory diseases (asthma, chronic bronchitis, allergic rhinitis, pneumonia), chronic diseases, lung cancer
El-Zaemey et al. (2018)	Animal	Chemical and biological	Exposure to vapors, chemicals, parasites, and microorganisms, repetitive tasks	Worsening asthma cases
Das et al. (2021)	Animal	Chemical and biological	Exposure to arsenic geochemical particulate toxicity	Cancer
Davis et al. (2018)	Animal	Chemical and biological	Exposure to dust and microorganisms from animals	Infections and contamination by Staphylococcus aureus
Baliatsas et al. (2019)	Animal	Chemical and biological	Dust, exposure to microorganisms and parasites	Diagnosis of respiratory diseases (asthma, chronic bronchitis, allergic rhinitis, pneumonia)
Jouneau et al. (2019)	Animal	Chemical and biological	Dust and particles	Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
Zomer et al. (2017)	Animal	Chemical and biological	Exposure to antibiotics and microorganisms	Acute kidney disease, cerebrovascular disease, cardiovascular disease, chronic lung disease, liver disease
Bendixsen (2017)	Animal	Mechanical and ergonomic	Repetitive efforts and task repeatability	Musculoskeletal injuries, accidents with animals, machinery, and equipment without protection or unsuitable for use, accidents with the energy system, stress, fatigue, depression, and anxiety
Head et al. (2020)	Animal	Mechanical e biological	Exposure to zoonotic diseases, inhalation of particles, consumption of contaminated products, tick bite	Illnesses such as hemorrhagic fever, fever, Lyme disease, headaches, malaise, skin rashes
Hioki & Inaba (2021)	Animal	Mechanical e biological	Exposure to animals, parasites, infectious diseases	Fatalities, breakages, loss of movement, infectious diseases
Santiago et al. (2021)	Animal	Physical and chemical	Lack of ambient ventilation, exposure to temperatures, sunlight, chemical substances, microorganisms, long working hours, stress, inadequate postures, unprotected tools and machines, electrical discharges	Skin and health disorders, musculoskeletal and traumatic injuries, cuts, falls, burns
Arcury et al. (2019)	Animal	Physical, chemical, and ergonomic	Sun rays or extreme cold, accidental substance poisoning, poor posture, long and repetitive work hours, stress	Exposure to sunlight and extreme cold, accidental poisoning, musculoskeletal pain, inflammation, traumatic injury, skin injury
Darcey et al. (2018)	Animal	Physical, chemical, and biological	Exposure to solar radiation, organic solvents, engine exhaust, metals, wood dust, pesticide exposure	Cancer and other diseases
Guertler et al. (2021)	Animal	Physical, chemical, and ergonomic	Exposure to sunlight, chemicals, improper posture, carrying improper weight, stress, inadequate tools, shocks, or electrical discharges	Cuts, shocks, falls, musculoskeletal injuries, trauma
Sønvisen et al. (2017)	Animal	Physical, chemical, and ergonomic	Lack of ambient ventilation, fog, poor posture, and stress	Musculoskeletal disorders, mental health issues, reduced hearing, respiratory, gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, and allergies
Thorvaldsen et al. (2020)	Animal	Physical, chemical, and ergonomic	Vibrations, excessive noise, temperatures and lack of ventilation, dust, particles, chemical product exposure, inadequate postures, long and repetitive working hours, stress	Musculoskeletal complaints, acute injuries, psychosocial exposures
Gerbecks et al. (2020)	Animal	Physical, chemical, biological, and ergonomic	Excessive noise, exposure to chemicals and animals, inappropriate postures	Diarrhea, headache, sleep disturbances, respiratory symptoms, skin problems, fatigue, and muscle pain
Saleh et al. (2019)	Animal	Physical, chemical, biological, and ergonomic	Repetitive tasks, lack of ventilation in the workplace, exposure to chemicals, bacteria, and microorganisms	Dermatitis, decompression sickness, barotraumas, muscle pain
Alwall Svennefelt et al. (2019)	Agriculture and Animal	Physical, chemical, mechanical, and ergonomic	Excessive noise, dust, improper posture, carrying heavy weights, stress, unprotected machinery, inadequate tools, electrical shocks or discharges, fires	Stress and constant noises in the ear due to noise, back pain, work accidents such as fires, knocks, or cuts
Amey & Christey (2019)	Agriculture and Animal	Chemical, mechanical, and ergonomic	Chemicals, repetitive strain and repetitive tasks, unprotected machinery, inadequate tools, fires, exposure to animals	Accidental poisoning, machinery unprotected or unsuitable for use, bitten or hit by rebuttal animals, hit by weight, falls, fires from ignition of flammable material or exposure to electrical current

Type of improvement	Questions	Authors (year) that supported
Engineering control methods	What precision pest and disease control techniques can be used to optimize control strategies in agricultural and animal field facilities?	Buiarelli et al. (2019); Gerbecks et al. (2020); Thorvaldsen et al. (2020)
	How can the use and integration of robotics and automation technologies in animal production operations improve animal welfare, increase productivity, reduce the risk of accidents, and promote adequate worker ergonomics?	Holte et al. (2019); Santiago et al. (2021); Guertler et al. (2021)
	How can innovative safety devices help prevent accidents with agricultural machinery?	Amey & Christey (2019); Head et al. (2020); Pate & Görücü (2020)
Organizational control methods	How can evaluating the effectiveness of rural workers' occupational safety and health training programs contribute to reducing work-related injuries and illnesses among agricultural and animal workers?	Saleh et al. (2019); Arcury et al. (2019); Hioki & Inaba (2021)
	What organizational factors influence adopting occupational safety practices in agricultural and animal companies?	Santiago et al. (2021); Sato et al. (2020); Thorvaldsen et al. (2020)
	How does research on adapting and implementing Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems on rural properties contribute to emergency procedures, PPE use policies, and risk analysis in reducing accidents and occupational illnesses?	Bendixsen (2017); Saleh et al. (2019); Santiago et al. (2021)
Control methods based on PPE use	What is the effectiveness (particle filtration, resistance to heat, and humidity) and comfort (ease of communication during use and comfort) of different types of respiratory protective equipment in agricultural environments?	Head et al. (2020); Park et al. (2020); Thorvaldsen et al. (2020)
	How effective are hearing protectors in reducing exposure to noise in agricultural and animal operations?	Bilski (2017); Gerbecks et al. (2020); Thorvaldsen et al. (2020)
	How does the development of technical clothing contribute to the harmful effects of excessive sun exposure and extreme weather conditions such as high temperatures, UV radiation, and strong winds to protect workers in outdoor agricultural environments?	Darcey et al. (2018); Tigchelaar et al. (2020); Arcury et al. (2019)

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