A preliminary hazard analysis in bee pollen and propolis decontamination process: From the beehive to the laboratory

Occupational health and safety (OHS) plays a crucial role in apiculture as in any other all other sectors. However, most studies in apiculture primarily focus on the health and safety of bees or the chemical composition of bee products like pollen, propolis and honey, which are commonly used in the cosmetic industry and food supplements. However, there is a lack of sufficient research on the health and safety of beekeepers and those working with bee products in laboratories or enterprises, despite the significant hazards associated with beekeeping. In this context, a comprehensive study encompassing the entire process from beehive to product is reported in this paper for the first time. Hereby, this paper is focused on the OHS hazards associated with the decontamination processes of bee pollen (BP) and propolis (PP) from collecting them in the beehives to the laboratory. As a risk assessment method for identifying hazards, preliminary hazard analysis (PreHA) was utilized. 19 preliminary hazards were reported in different steps of the BP and PP decontamination processes. The majority of these hazards arise during the collection of BP and PP from the beehives in the field, as well as from the use of electricity and chemicals in the laboratory during the decontamination processes of BP and PP as well as their preparation for the practical usage. The results help us to focus on which hazards to pay attention to and which precautions to take during the decontamination process in terms of OHS. Based on the findings, some recommendations are proposed about the precautions that the beekeeping sector employees should pay attention to and take in terms of OHS.