Messa a punto di protocolli per la sorveglianza sanitaria dei lavoratori agricoli lombardi

This paper describes a project addressed at improving the activities of health surveillance of agricultural workers carried out in the Region of Lombardy. The main objectives of the project are the definition of specific protocols specifically addressed at specific exposure and risk groups and at harmonizing the approach carried out by different occupational health physicians in different rural enterprises. To this aim, we have defined the following main types of working tasks, with a particular attention to occupational exposures and risk assessment outcomes: farmer engaged only in crop growing (different kinds of crops, including greenhouses); public and private gardens maintenance; animal breeding (different kinds of animals); fish breeders; worker engaged in rural tourist enterprises. The final objective of this project is enlarging the number of agricultural workers provided with health surveillance at the workplace, based only to evidence of exposure to risk factors and independently from the type of engagement in the enterprises. Health surveillance is provided directly at the workplace. We have pointed out an approach based on a common panel of medical, laboratory and instrumental investigations, accompanied with specific examinations addressed at specific risk groups. The main results of this project, together with its criticisms, will yearly checked, up while the future periodicity of examination will be defined based on the statistical elaboration of the data and the results of risk assessment activities. The main risk factors that we have considered are: biological risk; chemical risk; noise and vibrations; muscle and skeletal risks, climatic conditions (particularly, heat exposition); exposure to allergens. This harmonized approach will pose the basis for a sound data collection and elaboration, with the possibility of producing sound epidemiological data on the agricultural workers of our Region.