Sorveglianza sanitaria sul luogo di lavoro a tutti gli agricoltori lombardi: il progetto in atto presso la Regione Lombardia

Only part of the Italian agricultural workers is provided with occupational health surveillance, with a lack of preventive activities and underreporting of occupational diseases. Since available data highlight a significant presence of health risks in the sector, together with an unacceptably high incidence of occupational accidents, it is evident the need of actions addressed at improving and widening preventive activities. In this frame a project is running in Lombardy Region, addressed at occupational health and safety in agriculture, in two areas: occupational health services and health surveillance. In particular, a major objective is represented by the creation of a Territorial Integrated Prevention System, based on structures disseminated in the territory, in relation with the presence of farms and agricultural workers. As for health surveillance, this is based on a two step approach, with a component common for all the workers, including physical examination, audiometriy, spirometry and blood examinations, to be integrated with additional examinations, to be performed for exposure to specific risk factors, as followings: antropozoonoses, with specific tests for specific breeding activities; allergens and immunotoxicants; physical risk factors; risk of muscleskeletal disease, and exposure to chemicals. The creation of an epidemiological observatory is planned in the project.