[Production cycles and risk agents in the agri-food sector]

Italian Food Processing Section includes primary sector (agriculture, fishing and farming), secondary industry and service sector (trade, transport and marketing). The whole process is structured in a sequence of production structures, which constitute a die. The most important food processing dies are fruit and vegetable, cereals, wine, oil, bovine, swine and avian breeding, fishing, milk and cheese. Every die presents very different production cycles, jobs and working professionals. Considering the heterogeneity of food processing dies, all occupational risk factors, such as chemical, biological, physical, ergonomic, psychosocial and injuries risks, are very frequent in such working activities. In a pilot study carried out in the province of Foggia (Apulia, Southern Italy) we showed that the major perceived risk factors where dust and physical overload in the cereal-pasta processing die, and noise and awkward postures in olive-oil die. However, perceived risk factors are biased by low risk perception due to poor information about health occupational hazards, this representing an important health safety problem. For this reason, the activity of preventive authorities at various levels is highly recommended.