HEALTH PROTECTION AT WORK FOR THE WINEGROWERS IN FAMILY-OWNED BUSINESSES ON THE ISLAND OF HVAR

Vinogradarstvo ima stoljetnu tradiciju na otoku Hvaru i jedna je od važnih grana poljoprivredne proizvodnje. Danas vinogradarstvo egzistira prvenstveno na obiteljskim poljoprivrednim gospodarstvima. Cilj rada bio je utvrditi postojeće stanje zaštite zdravlja i sigurnosti na radu vinogradara na obiteljskim poljoprivrednim gospodarstvima, s posebnim težištem na uporabu pesticida, zaštitu na radu prilikom njihove uporabe, zdravstvene tegobe povezane s uporabom pesticida te ozljede na radu za vrijeme obavljanja vinogradarskih poslova. Istraživanje je provedeno anonimnim upitnikom u razdoblju od mjeseca lipnja do studenog 2012. godine, a obuhvatilo je 57 vinogradara. Rezultati su pokazali da su sumporni i bakreni pripravci najčešće upotrebljavani pesticidi u vinogradima otoka Hvara. Vinogradari ne upotrebljavaju sva dostupna sredstva zaštite pri radu s pesticidima. Značajna razlika u pristupu uporabe osobnih zaštitnih sredstava ovisi o pojedinim fazama rada koji obavljaju prilikom upotrebe pesticida. Od zdravstvenih tegoba koje su se javile nakon uporabe pesticida najčešće su iritacije očiju ili kože koji se pojavljuju u gotovo svih ispitanika i povezuju se s uporabom sumpornih pripravaka u obliku praha. Simptomi blažeg oblika trovanja pesticidima javili su se u malog broja ispitanika nakon uporabe bakrenih i sumpornih pripravaka istovremeno i očitovali su se kao simptomi probavnog trakta. Ozljede na radu zabilježene su kod čak polovice ispitanika. Uglavnom se radilo o lakšim ozljedama prilikom rada u vinogradu, pri čemu je petina ozljeda okvalificirana kao teške tjelesne ozljede nastale prilikom padova, spoticanjem ili nesretnim slučajem dok mehanizacija nema velikog utjecaja na nastanak tih ozljeda. Može se zaključiti da je edukacija i bolja informiranost vinogradara o štetnim učincima pesticida na zdravlje nužna kao i obvezna uporaba osobnih zaštitnih sredstava prilikom rada. Potrebno je na nacionalnoj razini izgraditi učinkovit sustav zaštite zdravlja na radu radnika koji rade na obiteljskim poljoprivrednim gospodarstvima.Viticulture on the island of Hvar is a tradition and has been one of the most important branches of agriculture for hundreds of years. Today, it exists mostly as family-owned businesses. The aim of this paper was to determine the status of the winegrowers’ safety and health at work in family-owned businesses, especially with regard to the use of pesticides, safety at work while using them, health problems connected with the use of pesticides, and injuries at work sustained in the vineyard. The research, lasting from June to November 2012, was carried out at 57 vineyards using an anonymous questionnaire. The results showed that the most widely used pesticides in the vineyards on the island of Hvar are sulphur and copper preparations. It was found that, while working, the winegrowers do not use all the protective equipment available. There was a significant difference in the use of protective equipment depending on the phase of the work with pesticides. Among the health problems connected with the use of pesticides, the most frequent were the irritation of the eyes and skin, which appeared in almost all examinees and were connected with the use of powdery sulphur preparations. The symptoms of mild pesticide poisoning appeared in a small number of examinees after using sulphur and copper preparations together and were manifested as symptoms of the digestive system. A variety of injuries were observed in as many as half of the examined persons. They were mostly classified as mild injuries, while 20% were classified as serious injuries that occurred as a result of falling, stumbling, or an accident. The mechanical equipment used in vineyards had no significant impact on the injuries sustained at work. The results of the research show that the winegrowers need additional education and training in the harmful effects of pesticides on human health, as well as developing a more responsible attitude to the obligatory use of protective equipment. Thus, it is necessary to develop and implement an efficient system of safety and health at work for the workers in family owned businesses on Hvar and nationwide