Fact Sheet Worker in a Botanic Garden

Cleaning seeds in a botanic garden – tasks and contribution of occupational medicine

Tasks:

Seeds of numerous plants (several thousand different ones ) have to be gained out of the dry plant for schientific reasons and for the reproduction of the plant.
Plants havae to be treated mechanically by hand on a work-bench with suction; bigger parts of the plant fall down, smaller ones and organic dust are being aspirated

Occupational exposures:

organic dust
skin hazard to the hands (irritation by plant-material; wearing of gloves)
muskulo-skeletal hazards by constrained posture
repetitive manual work
noise

Protective equipment:

dust mask
gloves
dust protecting clothes

Health demands:

No relevant disorder of

cardiovaskular system
pulmonary system

Medical preventive testing:

lung function
sight
clinical examination

Occupational medical expertise:

Understand task, exposure and demands
Medical advice to individuals and groups of employees on
- work related risks to health
- health prevention and maintaining workability
Advice to employer on
- improving conditions to reduce workplace related risks and environmental risks

Worker in a Botanic Garden