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Social protection:
Safety and health in agriculture
Along with mining and construction, agriculture is one of the three most hazardous occupations. In some countries, the fatal accident rate in agriculture is double the average for all other industries. According to ILO estimates, from a total of 335,000 fatal workplace accidents worldwide, some 170,000 agricultural workers are killed each year. Mortality rates have remained consistently high over the past decade.
 Machinery, such as tractors and harvesters, accounts for the highest rates of injury and death. Exposure to pesticides and other agrochemicals constitutes one of the principal occupational risks, with poisoning leading to illness or death. Other hazards are inherent in animal handling, and contact with dangerous plants and biological agents which give rise to allergies, respiratory disorders, zoonotic infections and parasitic diseases. Noise-induced hearing loss, musculoskeletal disorders, such as repetitive stress injuries and back pain, as well as stress and psychological disorders are also frequent. The situation is particularly evident in developing countries where education, training and safety systems are inadequate to prevent injury and illness.
Exposure to agrochemicals poses an increasing health risk in agricultural work. Pesticide sales and use have continued to climb over the years. In developing countries, the risks are increased due to the use of toxic chemicals banned or restricted in other countries, unsafe application techniques, poorly maintained equipment, lack of information available to the end-user on the precautions necessary for safe use, inadequate storage practices, and the reuse of old chemical containers for food and water storage. The total number of pesticide poisonings has been estimated at between 2 and 5 million per year, of which 40,000 are fatal. 
The incidence of occupational hazards in agriculture in most countries is poorly recorded and documented. Official data tend to under-report occupational accidents. In many countries agricultural workers are excluded from any employment injury benefit scheme, because none exists for them or because agricultural workers are specifically excluded from general schemes. In the case of illness and injury associated with agrochemicals, poor reporting is compounded by the difficulty of establishing a correct diagnosis. Many workers may never see a doctor as none is available within a reasonable distance.
One of the distinguishing characteristics of agricultural work is that working and living conditions are interwoven. Workers and their families live on the land, where there is much environmental spillover from the occupational risks mentioned above. Wider community exposure to pesticides may come in the form of contamination of foodstuffs, the misuse of containers for food or water storage, the diversion of chemically-treated seeds for human consumption, and the contamination of ground water with chemical wastes. Rural communities often lack the education and information they need to respond appropriately to the risks they face.
For a selection of ILO publications on safety and health in agriculture, click here.
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