County Fermanagh countryside. Picture: Cliff Donaldson
The Ulster Farmers’ Union is urging farmers to stop and think before working with slurry to help avoid an accident. This message comes after the Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (NI) was notified recently of a near miss incident involving slurry gas.
The farmers concerned were extremely fortunate and thankfully came away from the incident with their lives.
The root causes of the incident were:
- The day was warm, dry and calm with little wind to disperse the slurry gas.
- The farmers left livestock in the shed.
These are the two most common causes of slurry incidents.
If livestock is in the shed during slurry mixing, you are potentially putting yourself and others at very serious risk. When livestock fall victim to slurry, farmers tend to try and save their animals.
Think of the areas you could put cattle into in your yard so that you can mix slurry safely. Can you put up a number of gates in certain areas, that you can open out, to make temporary pens? One farmer had extremely limited space in his yard, and he put four gates up his lane and batched cattle in this way. Think of areas other than fields as they may be too wet to use at certain times of the year.
As the farm owner, you must ensure your own safety, your family’s and others when on the farm. Taking time to stop, think and plan the safest way to work with slurry can prevent an accident from happening.
Please always follow the slurry code when working with slurry:
- If possible, mix on a windy day.
- Keep children away from the area at all times when working with slurry.
- Take all animals out of the building before starting to mix slurry.
- Open all doors and windows.
- Use outside mixing points first.
- If slats are removed, cover exposed areas of the tank beside the pump/mixer to stop anything falling in.
- Start the pump/mixer and then stay out of the building for as long as possible – at least 30 minutes or longer depending on the size of the tank.
- If you have to go into the building, make sure that another adult who knows what you are doing stays outside and can get help if needed.
- If you have to re-enter to move the pump, or change the direction of the pump, leave the building as soon as this is done – do not go back in for as long as possible – at least another 30 minutes or longer depending on the size of the tank.
For full guidance on safe slurry mixing please visit the HSENI website.
