SUSTAINABLE FARMING: CRITICAL VARIABLES AND AREAS OF INTERVENTIONS TO PROMOTE ON-FARM SAFETY BEHAVIORS

Occupational safety has a remarkable impact on corporate sustainability, especially in agriculture, which is one of the most dangerous production sectors. Identifying the critical variables for the performance of protective behaviors can help in developing initiatives to reduce the incidence of accidents and improve safety and health among workers. "e present study investigated the paths by which participation in safety training, workers' age and previous history of accidents and near misses, can in&uence the adoption of safety behaviors in agriculture, through the mediation of a!itudes towards safety and perceived behavioral control (PBC). A questionnaire was administered to 310 Italian agricultural operators. Results showed that age, having a!ended safety training courses and having been exposed to accidents and near misses, showed a positive association with the adoption of on-farm safety behaviors, through the mediation of PBC. In particular, participation in training courses and age showed a positive association with PBC, while previous history of accidents and near misses showed a negative association with it. In turn, PBC was positively associated with the adoption of safety behaviors. Based on these results, possible areas of targeted interventions are discussed.