Cambodia is making an important step toward improving workplace safety and health for farmers by equipping Commune Agriculture Officers (CAOs) with technical knowledge and skills on Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) as well as practical training methodologies.
Organized by the Ministry Agriculture, Forestry and Fishery, with support from the International Labour Organization (ILO), a Training of Trainers (ToT) on OSH took place in Siem Reap province from 28 to 29 January 2026.
Participants learned to control safety and health risks in agricultural settings due to manual lifting, agrochemicals, animals and other biological hazards, environmental factors including heat and inadequate work organization by applying the ILO Work Improvement for Neighbourhood Development (WIND) Training programme. This participatory action-oriented training (PAOT) programme will help them effectively transfer local good OSH practices to the other CAOs and ultimately farmers.
"Building capacity of Commune Agriculture Officers in occupational safety and health is very important," said Yang Saing Koma, Secretary of State of Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fishery. "The Ministry will continue to roll out the training to other CAOs countrywide who will transfer knowledge and skills to farmers in their areas."
"Agriculture is one of the most hazardous sectors in Cambodia where many accidents and work-related diseases go under-reported, and awareness on OSH and safe practices remains limited," said Dr Yuka Ujita, ILO Senior OSH specialist for Asia and the Pacific. "By empowering commune-level officers who are closest to agriculture workers in rural areas, the training aims to build a stronger foundation for prevention actions at the grassroots level."
The project Promoting a safe and healthy working environment in Thailand and Cambodia, funded by the Government of Japan under the ILO's global Safety + Health for All flagship programme, aims to ensure and promote a safe and healthy working environment, placing emphasis on emerging OSH issues such as heat health and mental health at work. The project covers key sectors where occupational risks are significantly high and evolving, including agriculture, food processing, and other labour‑intensive industries.
