Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA.
J Agromedicine. 2021 Jul;26(3):323-333. doi: 10.1080/1059924X.2020.1795034. Epub 2020 Jul 27.
Manure storage, handling, and transport facilities and equipment have been associated with life threatening hazards on many livestock farms. These hazards have been documented in prior research as including 1) exposure to toxic manure gases or lack of adequate oxygen in enclosed structures, which can be fatal to both humans and livestock; 2) below and above ground liquid manure storage structures that have the potential risk for drowning and falling; and 3) mechanical hazards associated with manure handling and transport equipment, including entanglement, road collisions, runover, and equipment failure. Over the past 40 years, Purdue University's Agricultural Safety and Health Program (PUASHP) has collected, documented, and maintained data regarding agricultural-related injuries and fatalities associated with agricultural confined spaces in the United States. As part of ongoing surveillance, a total of 369 fatal and non-fatal cases relating to manure storage, handling and transport equipment, and facilities have been documented. Of these, 89 have involved children, youth, and young farm workers ages (birth-21) documented between 1975 and 2019. The purpose of this study was to summarize these 89 documented cases to better understand contributing factors and to develop recommendations for evidence-based strategies to reduce the frequency and severity of these incidents. Though recognized as not comprehensive for all incidents of this type, the data represent the largest data set known to exist, providing insight into previously unstudied hazards facing children and youth living and working on, and visiting farms as non-workers. Findings in this study include: there has been an increase in the documented frequency of these incidents, which may be due, at least partially, to enhanced or more aggressive surveillance efforts; 57% of the cases were fatal; incidents involving underground or inground manure storage facilities were the most frequent type; incidents involving manure transport vehicles were higher than expected; 33% of the victims were five years of age and younger; and July was the month with the most documented incidents. Recommendations for future injury prevention strategies include incorporation of information on manure-related hazards in curricula targeting children and youth, more aggressive enforcement of child labor laws that currently prohibit the employment of youth to work in manure storage structures or to be involved in their operations, and greater use of physical and administrative controls, including safety signage, fencing, gates, and covers to restrict access to manure storage structures.
粪便储存、处理和运输设施及设备已在许多养殖场与危及生命的危害相关联。这些危害在先前的研究中已被记录在案，包括 1）接触有毒粪便气体或封闭结构中氧气不足，这对人类和牲畜都是致命的；2）地下和地上液体粪便储存结构有溺水和坠落的潜在风险；3）与粪便处理和运输设备相关的机械危害，包括缠绕、道路碰撞、碾压和设备故障。在过去的 40 年里，普渡大学农业安全与健康计划（PUASHP）收集、记录和维护了与美国农业封闭空间相关的农业伤害和死亡数据。作为持续监测的一部分，共记录了 369 起与粪便储存、处理和运输设备及设施有关的致命和非致命病例。其中，89 例涉及儿童、青少年和年轻农场工人（出生至 21 岁），记录时间为 1975 年至 2019 年。本研究的目的是总结这些 89 例记录病例，以更好地了解促成因素，并制定基于证据的策略建议，以减少此类事件的频率和严重程度。尽管这些数据并非针对此类事件的所有情况，但被认为是已知的最大数据集，为了解儿童和青少年在农场生活、工作和访问时面临的以前未研究过的危险提供了线索。本研究的结果包括：记录的此类事件频率有所增加，这可能至少部分归因于监测工作的加强或更具侵略性；57%的病例是致命的；涉及地下或地下粪便储存设施的事件是最常见的类型；涉及粪便运输车辆的事件高于预期；33%的受害者年龄在 5 岁及以下；7 月是记录事件最多的月份。未来伤害预防策略的建议包括在针对儿童和青少年的课程中纳入与粪便相关的危害信息，更严格地执行目前禁止青年在粪便储存结构中工作或参与其作业的童工法，并更广泛地使用物理和行政控制措施，包括安全标志、围栏、大门和覆盖物，以限制进入粪便储存结构。
