A new agriculture health and safety Code of Practice was drafted by specialists, to be tabled at the ILO governing body in March 2011.

Fifteen specialists from labour, employers and states, met at the International Labour Organisation (ILO), working for five days to draft the occupational risk guide.

The agriculture occupational health and safety code of practice promotes a loss incident prevention culture among a third of the world’s workers, nearly as numerous at the services sector.

Agriculture is the largest employer of women. The code applies ILO Safety and Health in Agriculture Convention 2001 and Recommendation 192.

The draft Code raises awareness of the wide scope of farm and food and beverage production chain hazard and risk management, as well as occupational accident and diseases prevention.

Agriculture is one of the most hazardous job sectors. The new job health and safety code would set a framework of roles for authorities, employers, and workers worldwide.

Occupational risk management roles are described, including hazard and risk identification.

ILO codes of practice are being developed for occupational risk management in each job sector, including equipment types. ULO codes of practice would not replace national occupational risk laws, neither referenced or accepted standards of practice.

PHOTO; Agricultural equipment suppliers in the USA, and some in Europe, are standardising their user’s manual symbols and text. Many unskilled workers get their first exposure to occupational risk and workplace culture, in agriculture.