Fels D I, Blackler A, Cook D, Foth M
Ted Rogers School of Information Technology Management, Ryerson University, 350 Victoria St., Toronto, Canada.
School of Design, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia.
Heliyon. 2019 Jul 8;5(7):e01973. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2019.e01973. eCollection 2019 Jul.
The agricultural sector suffers from high risk of injury and damage to human health. There is considerable research not only identifying these risks but also finding ways to mitigate them. Beekeeping or apiculture, recognised as part of this sector, has many risk factors such as heavy lifting, high degree of manual materials handling, twisting, and awkward positioning common to all agriculture areas. It also has some unique risks such as those resulting from bee stings and smokers. However, there is much less attention focused on the health and safety of apiculture to the human beekeepers, and much more attention focused on bee health and safety. An ergonomics case study on beekeeping inspection tasks involving three independent, local beekeepers showed that many tasks involve awkward positions of the body, arms and hands, excessive lifting well beyond recommended weight limits, eye strain, and chemical and sting exposure. In addition, beekeepers are more interested in bee and hive health rather than reducing human-centred risk factors such as those due to excessive lifting. Standard ergonomics interventions such as a magnifier inspection and lift assist systems as well as interventions unique to beekeeping such as a smokeless method of calming bees are recommended. The beekeeping industry seems to have been forgotten in the modernisation of technology and agricultural practices. This paper offers some initial insights into possible points for research, development and improvements.
农业部门面临着较高的受伤风险以及对人类健康的损害。不仅有大量研究识别出了这些风险，还找到了减轻风险的方法。养蜂业被视为该部门的一部分，存在许多风险因素，如重物搬运、高度的人工物料处理、扭转动作以及所有农业领域常见的别扭姿势。它还存在一些独特风险，如蜜蜂蜇伤和烟熏造成的风险。然而，人们对养蜂业中人类养蜂人的健康和安全关注较少，而对蜜蜂的健康和安全关注较多。一项针对三名独立的当地养蜂人的养蜂检查任务的人体工程学案例研究表明，许多任务涉及身体、手臂和手部的别扭姿势、远超推荐重量限制的过度搬运、眼睛疲劳以及化学物质暴露和蜇伤风险。此外，养蜂人更关注蜜蜂和蜂巢的健康，而不是减少以人为中心的风险因素，如过度搬运造成的风险。建议采用标准的人体工程学干预措施，如放大镜检查和提升辅助系统，以及养蜂业特有的干预措施，如无烟熏的蜜蜂镇定方法。在技术和农业实践现代化过程中，养蜂业似乎被遗忘了。本文对可能的研究、开发和改进要点提供了一些初步见解。
