Health and safety sign knowledge levels of tractor operators in agricultural production

Abstract

Objective: Health and safety signs are critical in communicating messages about potential hazards, safe practices, emergency procedures, and regulatory guidelines. The objective of this study was to investigate the understanding of safety sign comprehension among tractor operators in Türkiye's agricultural sector. It seeks to determine operators' knowledge of occupational safety and health signs, traffic signs, and tractor safety signs. Materials and Methods: A total of 118 tractor operators from Izmir’s two districts (Menemen and Foça) were surveyed using a questionnaire. The questionnaire included demographic information, occupational safety and health signs (ISO 7010), traffic signs (Turkish Standards for Road Traffic Signage) and tractor safety signs (ISO 11684). Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data. Results: The mean comprehension score was 37.2% for fourteen occupational safety and health signs, 34.9% for seven traffic signs, and 28.0% for ten tractor safety signs. The mean comprehension score for all signs was 33.7% Conclusion: This study shows that tractor operators poorly understand these signs. Engineering and administrative control measures, including training, should be considered to improve sign comprehension. In addition, the poorly understood signs should be revised to effectively convey the intended messages.