C8501 - SICUREZZA IN AGRICOLTURA

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course, students will have acquired the knowledge and tools necessary to assess issues related to occupational safety and workers’ well-being in agricultural environments, as well as the techniques required for the management and analysis of associated risks, with particular reference to agricultural mechanization. In particular, students will be able to apply this knowledge to the prevention and mitigation of occupational hazards and risks.

Course contents

• Introduction: The role of occupational safety and prevention in the agricultural sector. Overview of the main occupational hazards and the specific characteristics of agricultural workplaces.
• Regulatory Framework for Occupational Health and Safety: Evolution of occupational health and safety legislation. Hierarchy of legal sources. Legislative Decree 81/2008 and subsequent amendments. Machinery Directive and essential safety requirements for agricultural machinery.
• Principles of Risk Assessment and Management in Agriculture: Concepts of hazard, risk, harm, and prevention. Methodologies for risk assessment and risk management. Preventive and protective measures. Analysis of risks associated with the use of agricultural machinery and work equipment.
• General and Methodological Aspects of Agricultural Machinery Safety: Machinery and protective systems. General safety precautions. Risks associated with the use of agricultural machinery and equipment. Risk assessment indices and classification of agricultural machinery.
• Occupational Injuries and Diseases in Agriculture: Overview of occupational accidents, injuries, fatalities, and work-related diseases in the agricultural sector:
  • Agricultural tractor: overview and advancements in safety and ergonomics. Tractor classification.
  • Tractor rollover: rollover accidents; lateral and longitudinal tractor stability. Protection against tractor rollover: ROPS, FOPS, cabins, standards and homologation.
  • Pesticides: Definitions, regulatory framework, operator training, and equipment inspection. Treatment efficiency and spray drift. Factors affecting drift and spray application technologies, with particular reference to hydraulic nozzles and pneumatic spraying systems.
  • Vibrations and noise control of agricultural machineries: Health effects of occupational exposure to noise and vibrations. Methods for exposure assessment and strategies for prevention and protection.
  • Human factors, accident analysis, and safety culture: The role of human and organizational factors in accident causation. Multifactorial analysis of agricultural accidents. Near misses, risk perception, and safety culture. Analysis of a real-world agricultural accident case study.
    

Readings/Bibliography

• Lecture notes
• Bodria, Pellizzi, Piccarolo, Meccanica Agraria - volume I: il trattore e le macchine operatrici, Edagricole, Bologna, 2013
• Oddo A., Banedetti E., Petringa Nicolosi R. – La Sicurezza delle macchine e attrezzature di lavoro. Wolters Kluwer Italia S.r.l.
• Patrizia Cinquina – Sicurezza e prevenzione in agricoltura. Maggioli Editore

Teaching methods

Lectures in class.

During the course field visits and/or seminars will be planned and will be held by experts.

Assessment methods

The course is part of the Integrated Course “Public and Agricultural Health”, together with the module “General and Applied Hygiene.” Therefore, the assessment of the integrated course will jointly take into account the knowledge and competencies acquired by students in all the above-mentioned modules. The final grade will be calculated as the average of the marks obtained in the two individual modules.

The knowledge and skills acquired in this module will be assessed through an oral examination.

Students are required to register for the examination through the AlmaEsami online system.

As this is an Integrated Course, please note that the instructor responsible for the official recording of grades is Prof. Francesca Valenti.

The examination may be taken in English.

Students with Specific Learning Disorders (SLD) or temporary or permanent disabilities: students are encouraged to contact the University office responsible for support services as early as possible (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en). The office will propose any appropriate accommodations to the students concerned. Such accommodations must be submitted to the course instructor for approval at least 15 days in advance. The instructor will assess their suitability in relation to the learning outcomes and educational objectives of the course.

With regard to assessment, the use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools is strictly prohibited. Any use of such tools will be considered a violation of academic integrity.

Office hours

See the website of Francesca Valenti