ASSESSMENT OF CHEMICAL AND PHYSICAL RISK FACTORS IN GREENHOUSES

Abstract

Crop production in greenhouses needs the use of chemicals and requires high levels of temperature and relative humidity to assure the increasing of crop production. This can cause risks for the health of the operators, especially if they are not equipped with protection devices. The risks may also vary with the type and/or size and/or shape of the protected structures. In order to determine the influence of different coverings on type and amount of risks, chemical and physical risk factors were measured inside greenhouses with different cladding materials (glass panels and plastic films) after crop management. In these two different greenhouses typologies, that were similar for location and crop, the same crop practices were performed. To measure ambient temperature, relative humidity, the levels of VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) and to process the measured data, were used two electronic systems equipped with a data logger and a photo ionisation sensor. The results of these measurements gave useful indications about the health of the operators working inside the greenhouses in order to control the risk factors.