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Latin America

Improving OSH in the coffee supply chain in Latin America

Latin America is a large source of coffee production globally. Colombia, Mexico and Honduras are among the ten leading coffee producers and exporters in the world. However, there is a wide range of risks for farmers and workers when producing coffee. Farmers are often unaware of the OSH risks and lack the knowledge to prevent and mitigate work-related illnesses and accidents. Besides impacting on the safety and health of workers, OSH risks also impact business profitability as more consumers are becoming increasingly concerned with the social and environmental conditions of coffee production.

The Vision Zero Fund has developed guidelines and provided trainings in response to COVID-19. The project closed in September 2022. Main results are available here.

Sectors

  • Agriculture

Team

When

February 2019–February 2022

Development partners

European Union

Project code

RLA/18/08/EUR

Coffee supply chain

Coffee farmers and workers face many occupational hazards. The greatest risks occur during harvesting, with fall from heights and musculoskeletal disorders the most common. The objective of the Vision Zero Fund is to identify the constraints that prevent the adoption of good OSH practices, develop solutions jointly with public and private stakeholders, and ensure that these solutions are sustainable and improve safety and health across the entire supply chain.

5

OSH protocols

developed to

address COVID 19

INTERVENTIONS
  • Identified drivers and constraints for OSH compliance
  • Created training programmes and innovative tools to prevent work-related accidents
  • Improved social dialogue at the national, regional and global level
  • Developed radio soap operas to promote OSH in coffee value chain
OUTCOMES

The Vision Zero Fund promotes south-south learning and has facilitated exchanges and collaboration between national institutions in Colombia, Mexico and Honduras on best OSH practices in the coffee supply chain. This has resulted in significant OSH improvements at both institutional and workplace levels in all three countries and across the region.

Stakeholders and other key players were informed of the OSH issues in this industry and how to improve interventions based on lessons learned from other countries and programmes. As a result of these efforts, the coffee supply chain in Latin America has seen improved OSH conditions at both company and institutional level.

EU ambassadors visit a safe and healthy coffee farm in Chiapas-Mexico

Vision Zero Fund training on OSH in Mexico