Health and safety in grain handling at the Mato Grosso do Sul State

Abstract

The labor in grain handling that receive, process and store agricultural products in the form of grains and seeds is a high risk for operators, as many of them are unaware of the seriousness of the accident that may occur in these environments. The objective of this paper was to present experiences with the accomplishment of two university extension projects, which had as main focus the dissemination of information and expansion of safety culture in work activities, in the area of grain handling. The first project was carried out in order to promote discussions about workers' health and safety guidance to operators of the Copasul Storage Unit, in the Deodápolis-MS city. The extension action team produced teaching materials such as brochures, banners, presentations, compiled videos and these were used in a lecture by the team, with students from the Agricultural Engineering and Agronomy courses, from the Federal University of Grande Dourados. A bin prototype was projected and built by the team and is a didactic tool used in accident simulations such as engulfment and grain entrapment. For the second project a structured investigation was prepared to collect informations about the subject's knowledge from the workes of storage units in the Mato Grosso do Sul State. After the online applying data were evaluated and discussed with the team and will be important for other actions and dissemination of the subject. The accomplishment of both extension projects were of great signficance to the team and this group intends to continue with future activities in the area with a view to expanding the culture of awareness and prevention of agricultural accidents.