OHS Training And Biomonitoring of Farmers Related With Pesticide Usage (OHSAGRI)

Grant Beneficiary Institution:

Başkent University

Lot and Sector Information:                       

Lot 2: Very hazardous sectors (except for mining sector) according to NACE coding system/Agricultural Sector

Project Stakeholders (Co-Applicant/Participant):

Project Duration:                            

18 Months

Total Project Budget:                     

EUR 155,877.69

Implementation Area:                        

Ankara

Project Objectives: 

The main objective of the project is to improve the occupational health and safety conditions in the agricultural sector through biomonitoring, to raise awareness about occupational exposure due to pesticide usage in agriculture, to deliver “training of trainers” in Ankara districts (Polatlı, Beypazarı, Kızılcahamam, Kalecik, Kahramankazan, Haymana) by creating a detailed OHS training programme in this area and by providing training to selected agricultural employees and occupational safety experts, and to reach relevant stakeholders at the national and local level for the agricultural sector.

Specific Objectives;

  • Developing a feasibility study on the current state of pesticide usage and exposure in agriculture
  • Identifying methods of biomonitoring to avoid exposure to pesticides
  • Defining which pesticides can be used at which intensity.
  • Conducting health research by taking blood samples in the pilot area to determine the farmers’ exposure levels to pesticides
  • Preparing an occupational health and safety training module for the training of farmers and other relevant stakeholders exposed to pesticides
  • Developing a web platform to disseminate training activities and project outputs
  • Providing a training for trainers (ToT) on occupational health and safety issues related to pesticide usage and exposure and carrying out a pilot study to verify the training programme
  • Adapting the created training programme to the undergraduate and graduate programmes of Başkent University and making it available to the university as an elective course.

Activities / Outputs:                                        

Main activities of the project:

  • Preparation of field surveys to be applied to farmers, agricultural employees and experts
  • Opening the web page and social media accounts of the project
  • Conducting of the surveys
  • Conducting of the biomonitoring study
  • Preparation of the feasibility report
  • Preparation of training module and guidebook
  • Implementation of the training module for agricultural employees, occupational safety experts and Vocational and Technical Anatolian High School students and
  • Analysis of the training activity with pre- and post-test implementations.

As a result of these activities, it is expected to;

  • Raise the awareness of agricultural employees and their families, all social parties related to the project subject, about occupational exposure to pesticides used in agriculture and occupational health and safety,
  • Prepare and publish an effective training programme and a useful guidebook on Occupational Health and Safety in pesticide usage,
  • Start an elective course on ‘Occupational Health and Safety in Pesticide Usage’ at Başkent University,
  • Deliver a training of trainers programme to 120 agricultural employees and occupational health and safety experts in 6 regions in Ankara. Provide the same training to 30 students who are studying at Vocational and Technical Anatolian High School,
  • Create and manage 1 e-learning platform and 4 social media accounts (Twitter, Linkedin, Facebook, Instagram),
  • Perform biomonitoring by taking blood samples from 300 agricultural employees,
  • Prepare a feasibility report that can be a source for legislative studies and organise 2 meetings/workshops on the subject within the scope of dissemination of the results.

Project Logo:  

Social Media Accounts:     

https://twitter.com/baskentunv?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor

Project Website: ohsagri.baskent.edu.tr

Contact e-mail: ohsagri@baskent.edu.tr