Using Technology to Enhance Safety for Farm and Food Processing Workers
Emerging technologies and proper protective equipment can significantly enhance safety for agricultural and food processing workers by preventing injuries and enabling early intervention.
- By Adrian Rusu
- Aug 16, 2024
With the farming season in full effect, and the harvest right around the corner, there is renewed focus on the state of labor for our essential agricultural and food processing workers.
Due to everything from operating heavy machinery to extreme weather conditions and intense manual labor, these key sectors are some of the most dangerous in the country. In fact, agricultural-related injuries top all other industries. This reality is made more acute due to the vulnerability of the populations performing farm work, namely migrant workers.
The risk to food processing workers is so high, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives recently passed legislationincreasing protections for them. Additionally, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has created a National Emphasis Program focused on intervention for workers put in unsafe heat and weather conditions.
As the heat persists, it’s important to understand the risks our agricultural and food processing workers face. Critically, however, these risks can be mitigated through a host of preventative measures, particularly through the use of emerging technological solutions.
Assessing the Dangers of Farm and Food Processing Labor
Walking through the aisles of a supermarket, it can be easy to forget how much work — oftentimes dangerous work — goes into getting food from the farms to people’s homes. Both agricultural and food processing industries are fraught with hazards that can threaten the health and safety of workers.
First and foremost, both of these industries rely on powerful, heavy-duty machinery for a myriad of critical tasks. On farms, machines like tractors and combine harvesters are essential for planting and harvesting crops. And in food processing plants, workers use everything from mechanical separators to saws and extruders to process meat and vegetables. Equipment failure can lead to severe accidents, often resulting in life-threatening injuries. Vehicle accidents—whether due to mechanical issues or operator fatigue—are also common, especially during peak seasons when long hours are the norm.