8286155 Prioritization of occupational hazards among wine grape farm workers in Western Cape, South Africa: a stakeholder-driven delphi process and worker perspectives

<h3>Background and Objective</h3> Agriculture is one of the most hazardous industries worldwide. In the FarmCo South Africa study, we aimed to prioritize occupational hazards (biological, chemical, ergonomic, physical, environmental, psychosocial) encountered by wine grape farm workers in the Western Cape Province, South Africa. <h3>Methods</h3> First, 29 of 122 contacted stakeholders (24%) participated in our online Delphi survey, rating 61 occupational hazards for likelihood and severity on a 5-point Likert scale. The 25 hazards with the highest risk scores (likelihood × severity) were then presented to 238 farm workers, who reported how often they had experienced each hazard in the past 12 months (5-point Likert scale). <h3>Results</h3> Stakeholders identified the most frequently occurring hazards as ‘working in the sun’, ‘contact with a pesticide’, and ‘prolonged bending’, with likelihood ratings of (Mean ± SD) 4.5 ± 0.69, 4.1 ± 0.9 and 4.1 ± 0.8, respectively. The highest risks were associated with ‘working in the sun’ (15.9 ± 4.7), ‘contact with a pesticide’ (15.2 ± 5.1), and ‘vehicle-related accidents’ (14.0 ± 4.5). Farm workers (72% seasonally employed) confirmed having worked in the heat (76%) or in the cold (60%) at least once in the past year. Additionally, 46% reported having experienced ‘repetitive movements’ and 42% having experienced ‘prolonged bending’ during the same period. Furthermore, 21% of workers came into contact with pesticides at least once. <h3>Conclusion</h3> Stakeholders accurately judged ‘working in the sun’ as a major occupational hazard but appear to overestimate the risk of pesticide exposure and vehicle-related accidents as the latter two are not reported to be likely by workers. Reports from farm workers confirmed frequent exposure to environmental conditions such as heat and cold, as well as ergonomic hazards like prolonged bending and repetitive movements. Further research in preventive measures should therefore consider prioritizing environmental exposures and ergonomic hazards. <h3>Collaboration and funding</h3> FarmCo South Africa is conducted by the Swiss Tropical and Public Health institute in collaboration with University of Cape Town. Funding is provided by the Swiss National Science Foundation Starting Grant.