ToR - Individual Consultancy assignment for Occupational Safety and Health Consultant for the Agriculture Sector in Lebanon

BACKGROUND 

The International Labour Organization (ILO) is implementing the BOUZOUR project ‘Building Inclusive Markets and Decent Work for Lebanese host communities and Syrian refugees’ funded by the Swedish International Development Agency (Sida). The project aims to develop specific agricultural and agri-food value chains with potential for decent job creation and livelihoods of both Lebanese and Syrian vulnerable population groups and in particular women of both communities.

The project makes use of the ILO’s Approach to Inclusive Market Systems (AIMS) to safeguard jobs and livelihoods of vulnerable Lebanese and Syrian communities threatened by the crises and encourage decent job creation for both groups in sectors with potential. To that end, the project uses the market systems development approach to address key sectoral constraints to decent job creation sustainably, in combination with more direct interventions to strengthen capacities of vulnerable Lebanese and Syrian communities and safeguard decent work conditions.

Agriculture remains a key pillar of the Lebanese economy, providing a livelihood for many workers and farmers across the country. However, the sector faces significant occupational safety and health (OSH) challenges that are often overlooked. Many agricultural workers, particularly those working in greenhouses, are exposed to a variety of risks, including mishandling of equipment, inadequate ventilation, exposure to harmful chemicals, and lack of protective measures. These risks not only threaten workers' health and safety, but also reduce productivity, disrupt operations, and create inefficiencies in the value chain.

There is also a significant gap in the dissemination of occupational safety and health information. Farmers and employers are often unaware of best practices, and workers lack access to safety training and resources. This knowledge gap exacerbates risks and hinders the adoption of safer, more productive practices.

Additionally, activities such as greenhouse construction and installation involve several high-risk activities, including working with sharp materials, welding, operating heavy equipment, and handling chemicals such as adhesives or paints. Installers and small manufacturers often face several challenges, including occupational safety and health issues for greenhouse installers and farmworkers, which are often overlooked and contribute to unsafe working environments. The lack of formal training among informal suppliers exacerbates these risks, putting both workers and farmers at risk of injury.

Poor working conditions during the installation process can also lead to suboptimal outcomes for farmers. For example, improperly ventilated greenhouses or poorly designed structures can compromise farmworker safety and limit long-term productivity.

As part of the Bouzour Project, this assignment seeks to address these challenges by improving occupational safety and health practices in the agricultural sector. The goal is to provide actionable and practical solutions for both farmers and their workers and also to greenhouse installers to ensure a safe working environment and increase productivity in the sector.

OVERALL OBJECTIVE

The objective of this assignment is to provide actionable, practical, and accessible solutions to enhance occupational safety and health (OSH) practices in Lebanese agriculture for both farmers and workers mainly in the horticulture sector. The assignment involves reviewing existing ILO OSH guidelines and training materials in agriculture, distilling key messages, and designing effective communication strategies to bridge knowledge gaps.

Additionally, the expert will provide OSH guidance specifically for the greenhouse farming sector, focusing on safer practices during the installation of greenhouse structures. This includes building the capacity of small manufacturers and installers to adopt and implement best practices.

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES

Objective 1: Develop OSH key messages and campaign materials for farmers and workers

Develop user-friendly and actionable OSH messages tailored to the needs of farmers and workers, derived from existing ILO OSH materials. These materials should focus on actionable points to mitigate risks and improve safety.

The key messages and materials developed by the consultant will be used to develop a communications campaign targeting both farmers and agricultural workers on OSH in agriculture. The consultant will therefore work in collaboration with communication and marketing experts (to be provided by the ILO) to be able to provide the content in an accessible format for the audience.

The consultant will support the campaign in reaching at least 300 farmers and workers (50% women) with the awareness raising campaign on OSH.

Objective 2: Provide OSH guidance for the greenhouse sector, with a focus on the installation process

1. Improved Installation Practices: Assess current greenhouse installation processes and identify safety gaps. Develop practical lessons and recommendations to improve these processes, ensuring safety and efficiency while reducing risks for workers and farmers.
2. Capacity Building: Build the capacity of workers and greenhouse installers by simplifying complex OSH concepts into practical lessons and conducting targeted training sessions.

SCOPE OF WORK

The consultant will conduct all tasks related to the implementation of this ToRs in close collaboration with the ILO.

Objective 1: Develop OSH key messages and campaign materials for agricultural workers and farmers (total of 24 working days)

1. Review Existing Materials (3 working days):
   • Conduct a thorough review of the ILO OSH guidelines, training materials, and practices in the Lebanese agricultural sector.
   • Focus on extracting practical, cost-effective advice tailored to the daily tasks and safety needs of farmers and workers.
2. Develop OSH communication materials (8 working days):
   • Distilling complex information from the ILO materials into concise, practical lessons that will be used to develop a communications campaign targeting both farmers and agricultural workers on OSH in agriculture.
   • The consultant is expected to develop approximately 15 communication materials (including visuals proposals and key messages) based on the ILO OSH Training Guide. These materials will focus on the daily tasks and safety needs of farmworkers and farmers. The exact number and format of materials will be determined during the inception phase.

1. Design Checklist (5 working days): Develop targeted checklists to be disseminated to workers tailored to the daily tasks and safety needs of agricultural workers. This checklist should cover essential safety measures such as safe handling of chemicals, proper use of tools and machinery, emergency preparedness, and safe harvesting practices.
2. Dissemination Strategy (3 working days): Collaborate with communications and marketing experts to finalise a strategy for disseminating materials to farmers and workers. This strategy should leverage multiple channels, such as through agriculture stakeholders, partners, and simplified printed or digital materials.
3. Support in dissemination (5 working days): The consultant will support the campaign in reaching at least 300 farmers and workers (50% women) with the awareness raising campaign on OSH.

Objective 2: Provide OSH guidance for the greenhouse sector, with a focus on the installation process (21 working days)

1. Engage with key stakeholders (5 working days).

2. Conduct consultations with small suppliers, greenhouse installers, and other relevant actors to gather insights into current practices, challenges, and opportunities for improving OSH standards in greenhouse installations.

3. Field visits and consultations should be conducted to understand the on-ground realities of greenhouse installation.  At least 2 field visits, one focusing on informal installations and one with a formal installer, should be conducted. In addition, at least 3 stakeholder consultations should be scheduled.

1. Develop actionable guidance on Greenhouse installation practices (8 working days)
   • Conduct an analysis of greenhouse installation processes, focusing on safety and efficiency.
   • Document key lessons learned and transform them into actionable recommendations and guidelines that can be shared with stakeholders to improve practices and outcomes. These guidelines should emphasize critical safety measures, easy-to-implement practices, and the long-term benefits of adhering to OSH standards.
   • Develop at least one dissemination material adapted to installers and installation workers
2. Organize awareness-raising activities and field-visits activities (8 working days) to ensure that installers can understand and implement the developed OSH guidelines for installation of greenhouses. At least 5 activities should be developed reaching in total at least 5 installers’ groups and 50 workers. These activities should be designed to overcome barriers such as literacy levels and time constraints, ensuring maximum accessibility. As part of these activities, in-person coaching for selected installers will be required.

DELIVERABLES

Please refer to the attached ToR to review the deliverables.

All data and information received from ILO for this assignment are to be treated confidentially and are only to be used in connection with the execution of these Terms of Reference (TOR). The contents of written materials obtained and used in this assignment may not be disclosed to any third parties without the express advance written authorization of the ILO. All intellectual property rights arising from the execution of these TOR are assigned to the International Labour Organization. The intellectual property rights of the materials modified through the assignment remains with the International Labour Organization.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATION AND APPLICATION

To apply for this assignment, the consultant shall possess the following qualifications:

• Advanced degree in social sciences, Agricultural Engineering or Public Health, or related fields;
• Extensive experience in Lebanon’s agricultural sector, in particular on the horticulture sector
• Experience in implementing occupational safety and health standards in the agriculture sector
• Experience in greenhouses is considered an advantage
• Fluency in Arabic with advanced proficiency in English
• Excellent analytical skills and demonstrated ability to write high quality documents

TIMEFRAME

This contract will be implemented over the period from 31 March 2025 to 15 September 2025 including the preparation phase, fieldwork, data collection and analysis, final report and completion of all deliverables.

Deliverables shall be submitted in line with the requirements explained in the agreed upon TOR within the deadlines and are subject to the approval of the ILO.

PAYMENT SCHEDULE

First Payment 20% Due by April 1, 2025. Payment will be released upon satisfactory delivery and approval of Deliverable 1.

Second Payment 40%: Due by May 15, 2025. Payment will be released upon satisfactory delivery and approval of deliverable 2. 

Third and final Payment 40%: Due by 15, June 2025. Payment will be released upon satisfactory delivery and approval of deliverable 3.

FOCAL POINT

The Consultant will coordinate with the Bouzour Project Coordinator and the Project Officer, and with the backstopping of the Specialist in ILO Beirut Office and with relevant technical departments involved in the ILO Headquarters.