Upload
saxton
View
31
Download
4
Tags:
Embed Size (px)
DESCRIPTION
The Role of Agricultural Structures in Safety and Health Issues. By Richard Steffen Southern Illinois University. Ag Injury Problem. Consistently Ranks in top 3 most hazardous occupations Poor injury reporting systems in agriculture make determining rates difficult - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
Citation preview
The Role of Agricultural Structures in Safety and Health
Issues
By
Richard Steffen
Southern Illinois University
Ag Injury Problem
• Consistently Ranks in top 3 most hazardous occupations
• Poor injury reporting systems in agriculture make determining rates difficult
• estimated 210,000 injuries in Ag (NIOSH)
Uniqueness of Ag Work Sites
• Remoteness of work site
– May not be able to summon aid
– may be hours before victim is discovered
– may talk longer for emergency services to respond
Uniqueness of Ag Work Sites
• Lack of regulations– agriculture exempted from most
regulations• Family Farms• Farms 10 employees or less• Farms 11 employees for more• Ag related businesses
Uniqueness of Ag Work Sites
• Unique environments– ag has environments not found in
industrial setting– environments have unique characteristics– characteristics create unique hazards– workers need to understand those hazards
• Work site, play site & home
Role of Structures in Safety & Health
• How much are structures involved in injuries?– Few current tracking systems report
injuries by structure
– classified by injury event• falls
• animals
• stuck by objects
Role of Structures in Safety & Health
• Past research – extent of the problem– 24% of accidents in Saskatchewan occur
in structures• Pahwa et al. (1995)
– 73% of flowing grain entrapments occur in bins• Kelly & Field (1996)
Role of Structures in Safety & Health
• Past research – structures– Environment
– Structural
Structures in Ag
• Used for long periods - often past planned obsolescence– slows adoption of newer and safer
designs
Structures in Ag
• changing needs– new methods
Structures in Ag
• changing needs– new methods
Structures in Ag
• changing needs– modified
structures
Structures in Ag
• changing needs– modified
structures
Types of Hazards
• Slips & Falls
• Struck by objects
• Engulfment by stored materials
• Crushed by materials
• Electrical shock
Types of Hazards
• Atmospheric Hazards– toxic gasses
– dusts and molds
– asphyxiation
• Biological Hazards– pathogens
– rodents & insects
Types of Hazards
• Fire• Poor lighting• Weather• Mechanical Hazards
– machinery
– automated equipment
• Poor Housekeeping
Confined Spaces in Ag
• Large enough and configured for an employee to enter and work
• limited means of entry or exit
• not designed for continuous human occupancy
Permit Required Confined Space (PRCS)
• Contains or has potential to contain a hazardous atmosphere
• Contains materials with potential for engulfment
• Internal configuration that can trap or asphyxiate an entrant
• Contains any other recognized safety or health hazard
Permit Required Confined Space (PRCS)
Permit Required Confined Space General Requirements
• PRCS must be identified• Employees must be informed of
existence, location and danger of spaces
• Written program must be developed• Entry permits must be developed &
used
Permit Required Confined Space General Requirements
• Safe entry– Isolating
– Purging & ventilating
– Testing & monitoring
– Communication
– PPE
Permit Required Confined Space General Requirements
• Training requirements– Duties of entrants
– Duties of attendant
– Duties of supervisors
• Rescue & emergency services
• Other standards (Lockout – tag out)
Machinery Storage/Repair Structures
• Slips & falls
• fire
• stored chemicals
• asphyxiation (exhaust)
• electrocution
• crushing
Barns and Livestock Facilities
• Slips and Falls
• Livestock
• Crushed
• Electrocution
• Atmospheric
Manure Storage Structures
• Toxic atmospheres
• oxygen deficiency
• drowning
• entanglement
• respiratory problems
• Pathogens
Silos
• toxic atmospheres• oxygen deficiency• falls
– unstable surfaces– heights
• entanglement• respiratory problems
(dusts)• pathogens• fire
Grain bins and pits
• engulfment• oxygen deficiency• falls
– unstable surfaces– heights
• entanglement• respiratory problems
(dusts)• pathogens• fire
Grain bin safety Research
• Schwab et al. (1985)– forces on a mannequin in grain
• Aherin (2001)– safety harness systems
• Burroughs (1999)– farmer’s attitudes on grain safety
• Freeman et al. (1996) Kelly & Field (1996) Kingman et al. (1999)– studies on engulfment fatalities
Recommendations
• Additional research to clarify role of structures
• Meaningful evaluation of current intervention efforts
• Research to develop new “user friendly” safety devices
Recommendations
• Include manufacturers in Safety and Health efforts - take an active role in education and promotion of safety devices
• distribute safety information using avenues that farmers utilize. Integral part of these media.
Recommendations
• Study future and current exemptions to Safety and Health regulations carefully