A Study on Exposure of Workers to the Risks Arising from Physical Agents in the Olive Sector in Andalusia (South Spain)

It is well established that workers being exposed to physical agents, such as vibration, noise and temperature can cause them different pathologies, such as musculoskeletal disorders, vascular and neurological problems, hearing loss, etc. In this regard, there are many productive sectors in which workers are exposed to such physical agents, among them is the olive sector, mainly during the process of hand harvest of olives. In Spain, the number of workers employed in this sector is quite high, since one third of all the olive oil world production is generated there and particularly the region of Andalusia (South Spain) is the world's leading producer of olive oil. This paper presents the first phases of a study on the characterization of the physical agents to which the olive harvest Andalusian workers are exposed. In this study the exposure during the process of olive harvesting by hand-held machinery is analyzed.