What hazards are hiding in your farm?

Learn about manure pit hazards.

Today, we’re going to talk about a hazard that many farmers don’t think about until it’s too late, your manure pit. Manure pits pose a serious hazard to even the most seasoned of farm workers. In fact, three Ohio brothers sadly just passed away several weeks back from asphyxiation while in a manure pit. Sometimes, overconfidence can cloud judgment, causing a person to enter without proper protection leaving that person susceptible to the physiological effects of gases within manure pits.

Why is it so dangerous?

What makes a manure pit dangerous is the anaerobic digestive fermentation process the manure undergoes while transforming into usable fertilizer. That process generates potentially dangerous gases such as:

• Methane
• Hydrogen Sulfide
• Carbon Dioxide
• Ammonia

Not only can that gaseous mixture be explosive, but it also creates an oxygen deficiency within the manure pit. This makes, it especially hazardous for a person to enter without taking the proper precautions. Proper planning before agitating the manure pit can prevent accidents or death.

Preventing accidents or death

Preventative actions should be taken prior to a bad accident occurring. Here are a few ways to prevent deaths:

• Cover openings at all times and post hazard signs around your manure pit to prevent accidental falls.
• Modify existing systems to provide access to serviceable parts from outside the pit itself.
• Ventilate all manure pits with a powered, continuous fresh air ventilation system.
• Only enter if necessary, and ALWAYS test the atmosphere PRIOR to entry.
• Any person entering should be equipped with a self-contained breathing apparatus.
• The person should have a lifeline tied to their waste and at least two others standing outside the pit ready to retrieve him or her at the first sign of danger (preferably with a mechanical device).

Delaying for even a few minutes if a person is in danger can potentially mean the difference of whether that person lives or dies of suffocation. That said, if things start to head south, any would-be rescuer entering should also have the necessary PPE, or risk potential death him or herself.

Final Thoughts?

A manure pit goes hand-in-hand with a formal safety program, adhered to by not only yourself, but also your trained employees and any family members who may enter it for any reason. Again, eliminate as much need as possible to ever have to be in there in the first place. If you have a manure pit on your farm, great! Turning waste into usable fertilizer helps everyone, but the risk exposure is real.

For more ways to prevent the risk of loss on your farm, reach out directly to Mike, “The Farm Guy,” and your Trusted Choice insurance advisors with Richey-Barrett Insurance at 440.835.4800. We’ll help you come up with a program to help manage all risks related to your farm operation.