Investigation of occupational health and safety in seasonal agricultural workers in Adana province in the Covid-19 process

Introduction and Purpose: It was not possible for some sectors to implement some measures to control the Covid-19 epidemic that emerged in China in December 2019 and turned into a pandemic, the agricultural sector is one of them and the main workforce of the sector is seasonal agricultural workers and their families. The aim of this thesis research is to investigate the occupational health problems faced by seasonal agricultural workers in Adana during the Covid-19 pandemic and the related factors and to determine their effects. Materials and Methods: Our research is of cross-sectional type and will be conducted with individuals aged 18-65 years living in Kadıköy and Doğankent tent settlements of Karagöçer, Çavuşlu, Bahçe and Yüreğir districts of Adana's Karataş district. The research population is 4117 people. A coefficient was determined by proportioning the total number of people in the tent settlements we selected and the calculated sample number, and the number of people to be reached in each tent settlement was calculated accordingly. Individuals were selected by convenience sampling method. A questionnaire consisting of 3 parts and a total of 79 questions developed by us was applied to the participants. SPSS 20.0 for Windows package program was used for statistical evaluations. In the evaluation of the data, mean, standard deviation, median, minimum, maximum, number, percentage, chi-square test and logistic regression analysis were performed and p value < 0.05 was considered significant. Results: It was determined that the average age of seasonal agricultural workers participating in our study was 28.49±10.11, and 59.2% of them were Syrian immigrants. 37.3% of the participants stated that they migrated during the covid-19 process, 39.3% received a permit at least in one trip, and 82.3% stated that the measures in the covid-19 guide were applied in their accommodation areas. 7.2% of the participants stated that they had a PCR test, 4.5% stated that they or a family member had covid-19 disease and the father of 1 person died due to covid-19. 4 people stated that they/one of their families had the covid-19 vaccine. It was determined that the probability of contracting the covid-19 disease of the participants who stayed temporarily increased 44.01 times. It was determined that the average daily working time was 9.09±1.36 hours, and the break times were 100.77±17.99 minutes. 66.7% of the participants stated that they went to their working areas by tractor, no one used masks, only 2 people stated that covid-19 was one of the risk factors they were exposed to in their work environment. All of the participants stated that they could not follow the social/physical distance rules while working. 23.6% of the participants stated that they had a work-related illness and/or work accident. 66.2% of those who stated that they had an occupational accident stated that the accident was related to upper and/or lower extremity lesions. Conclusion: In our research, it has been determined that seasonal agricultural workers are exposed to many risks in terms of occupational health and safety in the field of life and work, and these continue during the pandemic process. Cross-sectoral and wide-ranging interventions are needed to improve the living and working conditions of these people. Keywords: Seasonal agricultural workers, occupational health and safety, Covid-19 pandemi