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Drivers of Personal Safety in Agriculture: A Case Study with Pesticide Operators

Author

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  • Christos A. Damalas

    (Department of Agricultural Development, Democritus University of Thrace, GR-68200 Orestiada, Greece)

  • Spyridon D. Koutroubas

    (Department of Agricultural Development, Democritus University of Thrace, GR-68200 Orestiada, Greece)

  • Gholamhossein Abdollahzadeh

    (Department of Agricultural Extension and Education, Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Gorgan 4913815739, Iran)

Abstract

Agriculture is a hazardous occupational industry for farmers and farm workers; therefore, decisions to improve safety in the working place require understanding behavior of farmers and farm workers and factors affecting it. This study examined factors influencing perceived importance of personal safety and safe behavior of farmers in terms of personal protective equipment (PPE) use in pesticide spraying. Data were collected from a previous survey of farmers in rural areas of northern Greece. Over half of the farmers (55.4%) perceived low importance of personal safety in pesticide spraying. Perceived importance of personal safety increased in young farmers, with high education level, and large land area as well as with high perception of risk, knowledge of pesticide toxicity, seminar in pesticide use, access to internet, and perceived usefulness of PPE. Most farmers showed unsafe behavior in PPE use in terms of using long-sleeved shirt, long pants, chemical resistant gloves, socks, and shoes (58.9%). Farmers perceived low risk of pesticides (65.2%), despite the fact that two out of three farmers (66.1%) perceived high usefulness of PPE. Safe behavior in pesticide use increased in young farmers, with high education level, and small land area as well as with high perception of risk, knowledge of pesticide toxicity, seminar in pesticide use, access to internet, and perceived usefulness of PPE. Binary logistic regression analysis showed that knowledge of pesticide toxicity, education, age, and farm size were significant predictors of perceived importance of personal safety. In addition, self-confidence in spraying, following colleagues’ behaviors, risk perception, knowledge of pesticide toxicity, and farm size were significant predictors of safe behavior in terms of PPE use during pesticide spraying. Findings highlight differences in how farmers perceive personal safety and how they finally respond in daily action with respect to personal safety measures. Perception of risk, knowledge of pesticide toxicity, and farm size were common significant predictors for both variables. Lifelong education targeting promotion of knowledge about pesticide risks among farmers should be always a priority.

Suggested Citation

  • Christos A. Damalas & Spyridon D. Koutroubas & Gholamhossein Abdollahzadeh, 2019. "Drivers of Personal Safety in Agriculture: A Case Study with Pesticide Operators," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 9(2), pages 1-13, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jagris:v:9:y:2019:i:2:p:34-:d:204026
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Ajzen, Icek, 1991. "The theory of planned behavior," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 50(2), pages 179-211, December.
    2. R. Benabou & J. Tirole, 1999. "Self-Confidence: Intrapersonal Strategies," Princeton Economic Theory Papers 00s1, Economics Department, Princeton University.
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    Cited by:

    1. Funmilayo Juliana Afolabi & Paul de Beer & Joke A. Haafkens, 2021. "Occupational Risk Perception and the Use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE): A Study Among Informal Automobile Artisans in Osun State, Nigeria," SAGE Open, , vol. 11(1), pages 21582440219, February.
    2. Wen Xiang & Jianzhong Gao, 2023. "Do Not Be Anticlimactic: Farmers’ Behavior in the Sustainable Application of Green Agricultural Technology—A Perceived Value and Government Support Perspective," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 13(2), pages 1-24, January.
    3. M. Imran Ganaie & Manzoor A. Wani & Aisha Dev & Ishtiaq A. Mayer, 2022. "Pesticide exposure of farm community causing illness symptoms in upper Jhelum Basin of Kashmir Himalaya, India," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 24(12), pages 13771-13785, December.
    4. Birtukan Atinkut Asmare & Bernhard Freyer & Jim Bingen, 2022. "Pesticide Use Practices among Female Headed Households in the Amhara Region, Ethiopia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(22), pages 1-26, November.
    5. Mustapha Yakubu Madaki & Mira Lehberger & Miroslava Bavorova & Boluwatife Teniola Igbasan & Harald Kächele, 2024. "Effectiveness of pesticide stakeholders’ information on pesticide handling knowledge and behaviour of smallholder farmers in Ogun State, Nigeria," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 26(7), pages 17185-17204, July.
    6. Asghar Bagheri & Naier Emami & Christos A. Damalas, 2023. "Monitoring point source pollution by pesticide use: an analysis of farmers’ environmental behavior in waste disposal," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 25(7), pages 6711-6726, July.
    7. Abolmohammad Bondori & Asghar Bagheri & Christos A. Damalas, 2024. "Protective behavior in chemical spraying among farmers of northern Iran," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 26(7), pages 17673-17685, July.
    8. Mario Fargnoli & Mara Lombardi & Daniele Puri, 2019. "Applying Hierarchical Task Analysis to Depict Human Safety Errors during Pesticide Use in Vineyard Cultivation," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 9(7), pages 1-18, July.
    9. Mingyue Li & Yu Liu & Yuhe Huang & Lianbei Wu & Kai Chen, 2022. "Impacts of Risk Perception and Environmental Regulation on Farmers’ Sustainable Behaviors of Agricultural Green Production in China," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 12(6), pages 1-20, June.

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