Social Partners launch the Online interactive Risk Assessment (OiRA) tool in the agriculture sector

Representatives of the European Social Partners in Agriculture, the European Federation of Food, Agriculture and Tourism Trade Unions (EFFAT) and the Employers' Group of Professional Agricultural Organisations in the European Union (GEOPA), have officially launched the Online interactive Risk Assessment (OiRA) tool in the agriculture sector.

The OiRA tool has been developed by EFFAT and GEOPA with the support of the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA) to increase the occupational safety and health (OSH) standards in the sector while simplifying the compliance requirements for employers. The tool, developed in English, will focus on three agricultural subsectors, animal farming, fruits and vegetables, and will allow farmers and workers to perform free online risk assessments of their workplaces.

This launch is the culmination of the collaboration between EFFAT, GEOPA and the EU-OSHA. The exercise, started in December 2020, was structured through a series of steering committees featuring designated experts and political secretaries from the social partners.

Today's launch not only marks the public use of the OiRA tool, but also paves the way towards its implementation in coordination with the EU-OSHA national partners. To that end, an exchange of views will focus on the pathways to the translation and adaptation of the tool at Member State level.

The OiRA tool in agriculture launched today is the most comprehensive to date, serving the needs of both employers and workers, contributing to the future of farms and agro-cooperatives in the European Union, an internationally recognized technology for OSH practices. Its potential use includes the monitoring of social conditionality, which was recently included in the current Common Agricultural Policy (2021-2027).

The tool will also contribute to the attractiveness of the agricultural sector, for which both EFFAT and GEOPA has been actively advocating through the EU-funded project "Growing the Future: Enhancing the Attractiveness of Agriculture Work", while supporting generational renewal initiatives that underpin the digital and green transitions of our ecosystem.