The World Banana Forum (WBF) has produced complementary audio-visual tools aimed at strengthening proper health and safety training for workers in the banana industry. This follows the official launch of the Manual on Health and Safety in the Banana Industry in Ecuador in 2018 as a key activity of the WBF’s Banana Occupational Health and Safety Initiative.

The material and content of the videos are based on the manual on health and safety for workers (English version), which has the potential to be transferred worldwide. Workers and stakeholders in the banana industry can thus benefit from these videos to understand the risks, prevention and control measures, and appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) necessary for the 17 main activities conducted on plantations.

The following videos are in Spanish. English subtitles are forthcoming.

• Risks during the application of herbicides for weed control (applicator)
• Risks during ground spraying for disease control
• Risks associated with aerial spraying
• Risks in disease control using nematicides
• Risks in the use of covers and impregnated strips (bagger’s work)
• Risks associated with crown inspection
• Risks associated with preparing the soil
• Risks associated with planting and replanting work
• Risks associated with workers assigned to a plot (desuckering, pruning, deleafing, fertilization)
• Risks associated with staking (attaching ties)
• Risks associated with maintenance of the drainage system
• Risks associated with harvesting (the cutter, backer and hauler)
• Risks associated with preparation and packing work
• Risks associated with dehanding
• Risks associated with selection
• Risks associated with classification, weighing, labelling and packaging
• Risks associated with palletization and loading

An additional video was produced to highlight specific health and safety concerns faced by women workers in the industry.

• Gender equity in the banana industry

These videos were produced in collaboration with the Ecuadorian Ministries of Labour and Agriculture and were launched by the latter during WBF events held at the Fruit Logistica trade fair in Berlin, Germany on 6 February 2020. In Ecuador alone, this material has the potential to benefit up to 2.5 million workers involved in the banana industry, whether directly or indirectly.

For more information, please contact Camila Reinhardt at [email protected], Victor Prada at [email protected] and/or the WBF Secretariat at [email protected].