Project promoted by the Occupational Medicine Department of the University of Bari and used by Op Agritalia
The project involves measuring the cardio-respiratory parameters of workers engaged in vineyards. The aim is to better understand the systemic response of workers to complex working conditions, such as high temperatures, prolonged sun exposure, and fatigue.
The ongoing research activity at Op Agritalia, a table grape producer organization based in Barletta, is conducted in collaboration with the “E.C. Vigliani” Occupational Medicine Section – DIM of the University of Bari. This research involves experimental trials related to a project on “design and validation of innovative tools for studying the health effects of occupational exposure to thermal stress”.
“We have embraced this project because any attention to employee health and work quality can only be positive for improving working conditions,” explains Michele Laporta, president of Op Agritalia. Some employees of the company wore L.I.F.E.’s Healer R3 devices to measure cardio-respiratory parameters, which will be analyzed by students coordinated by Professor Angela Stufano, under the scientific responsibility of Professor Pietro Lovreglio.
“Technical shirts were worn by five employees with various tasks and different ages. With a scientific measurement like the one we are conducting with the University of Bari, it is likely that data will emerge that require us to reflect differently, for the benefit of the workers. With the results in hand, we will be able to evaluate any actions needed to safeguard the health of those working in the fields under heat conditions like the ones we are currently facing.” The data that will emerge from the analysis will be used to assess occupational risk from severe microclimatic conditions and intense physical activity, and to study early biological indicators of health effects from occupational exposure to heat stress.
Who spoke about the project:
Ansa, La Repubblica, Quotidiano di Puglia, La Gazzetta del Mezzogiorno, Il Quotidiano Italiano
