Efforts to Prevent Occupational Accidents and Diseases in Archipelago Dryland Rice Field Farmers, Central Sumba Regency

Abstract

All fields of work have potential hazards ranging between mild, moderate, and severe. Moreover, the number of deaths due to accidents and occupational diseases increases from year to year. Therefore, occupational safety and health (OHS) must be applied to all areas of life, formal and informal workers. A quasi-experimental method with random cluster sampling selected 50 rice farmers from Umbu Pabal Village, West Umbu Ratunggai Subdistrict, Central Sumba District, divided into two groups. Most (100%) of the respondents had never been trained in OSH and the use of chemicals (pesticides). After the treatment, there was a very significant reduction in the number of work accidents. This has a further impact on increasing the work productivity of rice farmers who receive the intervention (OHS training and use of PPE) higher than farmer groups who do not receive an intervention. The application of OHS to rice farmers can reduce the number of work accidents and occupational diseases, which directly impact the increase in the work productivity of rice farmers. OHS training and controlling the adverse impact of the work environment by using PPE is an obligation for all rice farmers to avoid the danger of work accidents. Keywords: work accidents, occupational diseases, dryland farmers. https://doi.org/10.55463/issn.1674-2974.50.4.10