The sunrise of agricultural ergonomic and safety studies in Italy and Europe

Abstract Far away to be a complete work of all the first agricultural ergonomics and safety studies in the fifties-seventies, aim of this paper is to focalize the occupational hazard problems that the researches faced at the beginning of the agricultural mechanization spread in Italy and in Europe to let a comparison with today's situation. European literature, standard and Italian laws of the period around 1955-1975 have been collected and examined. Specific occupational hazards have been considered with the different approach of the researchers, with the aim to highlight safety and ergonomics operator risks in function of the mechanization level and machines spread in the different agricultural and forestry fields. It is obvious that during the time the technology and the mechanization level have mainly displaced the axis hazards from mechanical and electrical risks to others (as physical and chemical). Among all the machines, the tractor was and is the main responsible of all the injuries type. Unfortunately, in Italy a common risk was present at the beginning of the spread agricultural mechanization among the farms as well as nowadays: the machine overturn (66% of fatal injuries in 1957 and around 90% in 2009).