New website helps EU farmers work in safety
News release - 02.03.2006
Despite decreasing numbers of people employed in agriculture across Europe, farming continues to have some of the highest accident rates for any industry
Agriculture 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. At the same time less than a third of workers in agriculture feel that they are very well informed about risks at work, the least of all sectors surveyed[1].
'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, emphasizes 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.
More information is available in the agriculture section of http://osha.europa.eu.
Press enquiries:
Marek Kosarczyn, Press Officer, European Agency for Safety and Health at Work, email: kosarczyn@osha.europa.eu, tel: +34 94 479 43 86.
Other enquiries: European Agency for Safety and Health at Work, Gran Via 33, E-48009 Bilbao, Spain, email: information@osha.europa.eu, fax: +34 94 479 4383.
Notes to editors:
1. You can access the agriculture section directly by clicking the following link: http://osha.europa.eu/sector/agriculture.
2. The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work was set up by the European Union to help meet the information needs in the field of occupational safety and health. Based in Bilbao, Spain, the Agency aims to improve the lives of people at work by stimulating the flow of technical, scientific and economic information between all those involved in occupational safety and health issues.
'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, emphasizes 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.
More information is available in the agriculture section of http://osha.europa.eu.
1. European Survey on Working Conditions 2000, European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions.
EndsPress enquiries:
Marek Kosarczyn, Press Officer, European Agency for Safety and Health at Work, email: kosarczyn@osha.europa.eu, tel: +34 94 479 43 86.
Other enquiries: European Agency for Safety and Health at Work, Gran Via 33, E-48009 Bilbao, Spain, email: information@osha.europa.eu, fax: +34 94 479 4383.
Notes to editors:
1. You can access the agriculture section directly by clicking the following link: http://osha.europa.eu/sector/agriculture.
2. The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work was set up by the European Union to help meet the information needs in the field of occupational safety and health. Based in Bilbao, Spain, the Agency aims to improve the lives of people at work by stimulating the flow of technical, scientific and economic information between all those involved in occupational safety and health issues.
