Farmers knowledge, attitudes and perceptions of occupational health and safety hazards in Trinidad, West Indies and implications for the Agriculture sector

Abstract

Studies have shown that Trinidad has an aged farming population. Young persons are not entering the sector. As such, older farmers will continue to be the backbone of Trinidad’s agricultural sector. There is urgent need for focus to be placed on improving the state of occupational health and safety within this sector. This study sought to determine farmers’ knowledge, attitudes and perceptions towards occupational health and safety issues in agriculture and recommend actions to reduce/prevent health and safety hazards in agriculture. A total of 100 small-scale commercial-oriented vegetable farmers from ten of the most populated agricultural pockets across Trinidad were surveyed as part of this study. The results of this study indicated that farmers had overall good knowledge, fairly positive attitudes but strong negative perceptions towards occupational health and safety issues in agriculture. Gender was not a significant factor on knowledge, attitude or perception levels. Additionally, attitude varied significantly based on characteristics of farmers (age and job type) and communication efforts by extension. This study validates the need for more emphasis to be placed on occupational health and safety within Trinidad’s agricultural sector, which can be achieved through directed programs, policies and practices by government and its related agencies. Key words: Occupational health and safety, Agriculture, knowledge, small-scale farmers, Trinidad.