Propuesta de un programa para el control de la exposición ocupacional a calor en la recolección de "citrus cinensis" (naranja) en las Plantaciones de Ticofrut Agrícola S.A. del cantón fronterizo de Los Chiles

Abstract

This project consists of applied descriptive research, with both quantitative and qualitative approaches. It was developed during the harvesting citrus x cinensis plantations of TicoFrut Agrícola S.A., located in the border region of Los Chiles, where approximately 2400 pickers, mostly seasonal migrants, are involved in a labor relationship with poor root and piecework. During the analysis of the current situation, it is concluded that people who participate in the orange harvesting are in a condition of thermal stress, which generates affectation to their health. The work involved requires a moderated metabolic load with respect to the reference levels established in INTE / ISO 7243: 2016. The hydration practices used by the pickers are not efficient. There is a high prevalence of possible dehydration signs. Acclimatization, for the particular case of pickers, does not seem to be a process of relevance for its implementation. Administrative and integrated control alternatives are designed and proposed through an occupational exposure control program, which defines planning, organization, management and control of strategic activities, to prevent the health affectation of the people involved in the orange picking work.