Occupational Safety and Health Training Provided to Seasonal Agricultural Workers
Training sessions in Mersin and Adana informed seasonal agricultural workers on proper lifting, insect bites, protection against sunstroke and pesticides.
31 January 2022
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Mersin/Adana – Occupational safety and health (OSH) training was provided to seasonal agricultural workers in Mersin and Adana under the project “Elimination of Child Labour in Seasonal Agriculture (ECLSA)” being implemented in cooperation by the General Directorate of Labour (GDL) of the Ministry of Labour and Social Security (MoLSS) and the International Labour Organization (ILO) Office for Turkey, with funding from the European Union (EU).
Training sessions informed seasonal agricultural workers on proper lifting, insect bites, protection from sun and pesticides.
The first event was organized in Mersin, and the second in Adana, of the series of training aiming to adequately inform seasonal agricultural workers on occupational safety and health, and prevent potential work accidents. The training sessions were attended by a group of seasonal agricultural workers currently residing in Mersin and Adana. The training was delivered by occupational safety expert Birkal Talay and addressed the characteristics of the agriculture sector and of agricultural labour, frequent risks and hazards, and preventive and protective information for adults working in the agriculture sector.
Trainer Birkal Talay said: “We conclude from the feedback that our training sessions are highly useful. For example, a trainee told during a course on signs for hazardous materials that s/he never cared about nor encountered them earlier. Another trainee asked if hazardous materials did exist in domestic detergents as well. S/he said ‘I will check when I go back home, from now on, I will be careful, and I will tell my household too.’ The signs were much helpful particularly to illiterate persons. Another trainee said s/he realized that his/her low back pains stemmed from improper technique of lifting things, and would do the proper way.”
Ömer Dede, Chair of Executive Board of Pikolo Association, one of the project implementing partners highlighted the importance of awareness raised through training. Dede said: “During the training, it was underlined that planting trees was an important action against sun strokes, and they would ask workers, agricultural intermediaries and field owners to do that. OSH expert warned that when using disinfectants, care must be taken to avoid contact with fire, and once hands are disinfected with the material, contact with any inflammable material may cause big fire. Some trainees inquired that they came across ticks when working in the field, and did not know how to remove a tick once it attached itself to human body, and during the training, they learned how to do it.”
Training will continue with events in Hatay, Şanlıurfa and Adıyaman.
Accidents with agricultural machinery, exposure to pesticides and other chemicals are the top two causes of deaths, injuries and diseases in the sector.
Implemented in the provinces of Şanlıurfa, Mardin, Adıyaman, Diyarbakır, Adana, Mersin, Hatay, Izmir, Manisa, Ankara, Eskişehir, Konya, Malatya, Ordu, Bursa and Düzce which stand out as top destinations and origins of migration for seasonal agricultural work, the project pursues a cluster of objectives including particularly providing 12,000 children with education, counselling and rehabilitation services on site; delivering educational and stationery materials, hygiene kits, clothing and food support; improving the living and accommodation conditions for seasonal agriculture workers and families; referring the family members of those children working in or at risk of working in seasonal agriculture to vocational training programmes to develop living and vocational skills; and providing training on adverse aspects of child labour in seasonal agriculture and relevant legislation to 200 agricultural intermediaries, 500 employers and 200 village mukhtars.
The project is being implemented within the frame of ILO’s Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour in Turkey (2021-2025).
Training sessions informed seasonal agricultural workers on proper lifting, insect bites, protection from sun and pesticides.
The first event was organized in Mersin, and the second in Adana, of the series of training aiming to adequately inform seasonal agricultural workers on occupational safety and health, and prevent potential work accidents. The training sessions were attended by a group of seasonal agricultural workers currently residing in Mersin and Adana. The training was delivered by occupational safety expert Birkal Talay and addressed the characteristics of the agriculture sector and of agricultural labour, frequent risks and hazards, and preventive and protective information for adults working in the agriculture sector.
Trainer Birkal Talay said: “We conclude from the feedback that our training sessions are highly useful. For example, a trainee told during a course on signs for hazardous materials that s/he never cared about nor encountered them earlier. Another trainee asked if hazardous materials did exist in domestic detergents as well. S/he said ‘I will check when I go back home, from now on, I will be careful, and I will tell my household too.’ The signs were much helpful particularly to illiterate persons. Another trainee said s/he realized that his/her low back pains stemmed from improper technique of lifting things, and would do the proper way.”
Ömer Dede, Chair of Executive Board of Pikolo Association, one of the project implementing partners highlighted the importance of awareness raised through training. Dede said: “During the training, it was underlined that planting trees was an important action against sun strokes, and they would ask workers, agricultural intermediaries and field owners to do that. OSH expert warned that when using disinfectants, care must be taken to avoid contact with fire, and once hands are disinfected with the material, contact with any inflammable material may cause big fire. Some trainees inquired that they came across ticks when working in the field, and did not know how to remove a tick once it attached itself to human body, and during the training, they learned how to do it.”
Training will continue with events in Hatay, Şanlıurfa and Adıyaman.
Agriculture is one of the most hazardous sectors
It is estimated that approximately half of the work accidents across the world occur in agriculture. ILO data indicate that every year 170,000 agricultural workers die, 1.3 million are seriously injured or contract/develop occupational diseases.Accidents with agricultural machinery, exposure to pesticides and other chemicals are the top two causes of deaths, injuries and diseases in the sector.
About the Project
Funded by the European Union, the project stands out as the largest project in Turkey. With a budget of 29.7 million EUR and scheduled for 40 months, the project aims to undertake a series of activities for many children moving with families and working in or at risk of working in seasonal agriculture. Accordingly, working children, families, employers, school administrators and teachers, village masters (mukhtars) and agricultural intermediaries are reached out to refer children to education, while on the other hand, work is undertaken to strengthen national and local institutional capacities.Implemented in the provinces of Şanlıurfa, Mardin, Adıyaman, Diyarbakır, Adana, Mersin, Hatay, Izmir, Manisa, Ankara, Eskişehir, Konya, Malatya, Ordu, Bursa and Düzce which stand out as top destinations and origins of migration for seasonal agricultural work, the project pursues a cluster of objectives including particularly providing 12,000 children with education, counselling and rehabilitation services on site; delivering educational and stationery materials, hygiene kits, clothing and food support; improving the living and accommodation conditions for seasonal agriculture workers and families; referring the family members of those children working in or at risk of working in seasonal agriculture to vocational training programmes to develop living and vocational skills; and providing training on adverse aspects of child labour in seasonal agriculture and relevant legislation to 200 agricultural intermediaries, 500 employers and 200 village mukhtars.
The project is being implemented within the frame of ILO’s Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour in Turkey (2021-2025).