NASHVILLE, TENN. (RFD-TV) — Manure from a hog farm is more than just waste; it is also becoming a key renewable resource for operations. That is why the National Pork Board (NPB) warns producers to remain vigilant and follow strict safety precautions when handling it.
“Producers should be wearing gas monitors whenever they’re working around manure, whenever they’re agitating and pumping manure, as well as whenever they’re working around manure containments,” said Margueritte Tan, NPB Director of Environmental Programs. “So, it’s as simple as wearing a gas monitor, making sure that the gas monitor battery in it is working, and allowing it to alarm you if manure gases have become too high.”
Tan emphasized that an emergency action plan can help prevent a crisis and advised producers and manure-handling contractors to update and review their plans regularly. She also added that producers should have all safety equipment ready before the manure removal process.
“Every single morning when we get up, before we start working with that manure, all of us need that reminder of what that emergency plan is, and if something happens, what we need to do,” Tan said. “One of the biggest challenges that we face with manure is if somebody passes out from those manure gases. We don’t want somebody rushing in to save them, because —unfortunately, what happens is — the person who goes in to save them will also pass out, and now we have multiple people who’ve passed out.”
