Hygiene and preventive measures in the agricultural sector

The agricultural sector is a work area in which there are different types of occupational risks for workers due to the performance of different activities and the use of heavy machinery and other types of tools.

Agriculture, livestock and forestry account for a considerable number of accidents at work each year, which makes it clear that every worker in the agricultural sector, regardless of his activity, needs to have at his disposal: Personal protective equipment in order to ensure maximum safety and avoid unwanted accidents.

According to various studies, one of the most frequent accidents in this sector is caused by living beings, that is, by the animals themselves with whom one works to try to take advantage of their production, be it meat, milk, eggs or other products.

The most common accidents occur during the handling of the animal during a veterinary inspection, during cleaning the space in which the animal lives, during milking, mooring or artificial insemination.

In addition to the accidents that may be caused by handling or caring for the animal, there is also the possibility that the workers may contract an infection.

The so-called zoonoses are occupational diseases in addition, there is a risk of serious health problems for workers. For this reason, extreme measures should be taken when working with animals in order to avoid the possibility of a biological risk being transmitted either directly from the animal itself or through its feces, soil contaminated by it or products derived from it.

In general, these infectious agents for workers' health are transmitted through the respiratory, cutaneous-mucosal, digestive or accidental inoculation routes.

To prevent infection by animals, it is necessary to diagnose if the animal may be suffering from any kind of disease, especially from those new members of the recent, causing them to be separated from other animals until the results are known.

Employees, on the other hand, should use Personal protective equipment to prevent the possibility of contagion, such as boots, shoes respiratory masks, gloves and gloves working monkeys, without ruling out the use of disposable clothing.

Finally, it should be borne in mind that the animals' habitat must be disinfected to prevent any toxic elements from contaminating them and posing a risk to both livestock and workers.