QUANTITATIVE STUDY ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF SAFETY SYSTEMS AND THE REDUCTION OF OCCUPATIONAL INCIDENTS IN MECHANIZED AGRICULTURAL ENVIRONMENTS

Abstract

Objective. To quantitatively assess the relationship between the degree of implementation of occupational health and safety management systems (OSHS), including frameworks such as ISO 45001, and the rate of occupational incidents on mechanized farms. Methods. An analytical cross-sectional study was carried out with 186 mechanized agricultural units. A Safety Implementation Index (IIS, 0–100) was constructed  from 18 items (policy, leadership, hazard identification, engineering controls, telemetry/IoT, training, incident investigation, audits). The outcome was the rate of incidents with lost days/100 FTE-years in the last 12 months. Negative binomial regression models were applied, adjusting for unit size, type of crop, machine-hours and subcontracting. Results. A 10-point increase in the IIS was associated with a 27% reduction in incident rate (IRR = 0.73; 95% CI: 0.66–0.81; p < 0.001). Farms certified or aligned with ISO 45001 showed 41% lower rates compared to non-aligned farms (IRR = 0.59; 95% CI: 0.47–0.74; p < 0.001). The adoption of sensors/IoT for lockout/tagout, remote stopping, and proximity monitoring was additionally associated with an 18% decrease (p = 0.012). Conclusions. A robust OHS-MS—especially when integrating ISO 45001 and monitoring technologies—is associated with a substantial drop in incidents in mechanized agriculture. It is recommended to consolidate risk-based management, strengthen the safety culture and accelerate preventive digitalisation. These findings are consistent with recent evidence on high accident rates in the agricultural sector and with studies that report improvements after implementing ISO 45001 and smart technologies.