Farmers' Awareness in the Field of Occupational Safety and Health in Sustainable Management System

Farming presupposes good acquaintance with the use of machinery, equipment, animal care and work schedules to safely perform duties on integrated farms. This is the reason why the farmers’ knowledge of occupational health and safety, including the use and application of personal protective equipment, has become a subject of the research. A survey research was conducted among 90 farmers working on an integrated farm or being interested in such a system. Questions concerned harmful and hazardous factors in the work environment, the principles of safe working with animals, use of personal protection measures, knowledge and implementation of safety signs, pre-medical aid, and participation in training in innovative agriculture. The most active age group of respondents were farmers up to 50 years of age who were willing to participate in the study by providing exhaustive answers. Most of the farmers have a basic or secondary education and a large amount of their knowledge comes from their own experience. The greatest role in implementing the assumptions of the integrated management system plays the human factor together with its own state of awareness in the field discussed. INTRODUCTION A sustainable management system involves rational use of resources to reduce the negative impact of agriculture on the environment. Such a rational approach also presupposes a proper understanding of the working process and of the requirements related to it, in order to eliminate any risk to health and living conditions of the farmers. In a system of productivity-oriented farming based on precisely scheduled agronomic and animal husbandry practices, in addition to strict control of products and the environment, it is necessary to carry out activities related to occupational health and safety. (Kociszewski, 2011, Kostecka & Mroczek, 2007; Pawlak, et al., 2017; Pawlak & Nowakowicz-Dębek, 2015). One of the major diseases that farmers are exposed to is an exogenous allergic alveolitis (EAA), which is caused by the inhalation of plant protection products. While trying to avoid poisoning and exposure to biological, physical and chemical agents, it is necessary to remember about appropriate preventive measures. The use of preventive measures requires thorough knowledge of the scope of their implementation (Brodzińska, 2012; Gawda et al., 2015; Nowakowicz-Dębek et al., 2016; Pawlak & Nowakowicz-Dębek, 2015; Pecyna, Pawlak, Maksym, Filipiuk, & Buczaj, 2016; Walusiak-Skorupy & Pałczyński, 2010). Farming presupposes good acquaintance with the use of machinery, equipment, animal care and work schedules to safely perform duties on integrated farms. This is the reason