Why does slurry kill you

However, the warning signs are not immediately obvious as a high concentration knocks out your sense of smell. It causes breathing difficulties, then disorientation. After only a few breaths, it can displace air from the lungs and affect your nervous system.

As soon as the slurry is mixed, the gas is released very quickly. Lethal risks of working with slurry. Wearing a facemask will not help, according to the Health and Safety Executive. Anyone entering a slurry tank must wear breathing apparatus with its own air supply, it says. If possible, slurry should be mixed on a windy day so that fumes can be more easily dispersed in the air.

Doors and windows should be kept open and tank openings should be properly covered. The advice is that people should stay out of any building while slurry mixers are running for as long as possible. The use of meters to monitor gas levels are recommended only as an extra precaution, but the Health and Safety Executive says these are no substitute for proper safe working methods. A common theme in the reaction by Northern Ireland politicians was how the fatal accident in Dunloy highlighted the continual dangers faced by farmers.

Agriculture is an important part of the local economy, and it has brought a high cost as well in terms of human life. The incident on Saturday is the latest in a long line of fatal accidents involving slurry tanks on Northern Ireland's farms.

The most high profile one happened in September , when Ulster rugby player Nevin Spence, his father Noel and brother Graham died after they were overcome by fumes on their family farm. The inquest into their deaths was told it was the worst farming tragedy in Northern Ireland for 20 years. Coroner John Leckey said the case had raised awareness of the dangers of slurry, and asked the media to refer farmers to the HSENI website for slurry safety advice ; in particular the 'safe system of work for mixing slurry' which has been distributed in Northern Ireland in 10, leaflets.

Slurry death boy 'gentle character'. Boy killed in slurry tank accident. Image source, PAcemaker. Ventilation recommendations are available from a number of sources.

If the power fails, open all windows and doors and remove livestock if possible. Many farmers with livestock confinement operations have invested in portable or emergency power generating units to insure livestock housing areas have continuous power for ventilation.

Concerning open storage of liquid manure in ponds or lagoons, precautionary measures should also be taken to reduce the risks to people and livestock. Manure ponds or lagoons should, if at all possible, be fenced in to prevent access by children or livestock.

Open lagoons can appear deceptively solid during warm weather and lure the curious out onto the surface. Do not allow people to enter livestock buildings during agitation and pumping of manure pits under the building floor. Full respiratory protection, in the form of self-contained breathing units, should be utilized at all times.

No one should ever enter a manure storage pit - even to rescue a victim overcome by gases -without a supply of air and assistance from a backup crew using a lifeline. Many deaths have occurred when people entered manure storage areas without proper safety precautions. If you must enter a manure storage area, the following confined space entry procedures will minimize, but not eliminate, the risks.

Never enter a manure pit during or just after agitation because there is always the possibility of deadly concentration of this gas. Plumbing and pumping equipment should be installed so that it can be easily removed for repairs. Before agitation, take steps to ensure the welfare of the animals and people working in the area. Remove all people and animals if possible.

If animals cannot be removed, maximize ventilation and agitate slurry very slowly at first. Monitor the condition of the animals. If the animals act restless or agitated or abnormal, stop the agitation immediately and ventilate the area. Always keep at least one foot of space between the highest manure level and the slats. This protects animals who lie on the slats and inhale the gases that accumulate at the surface of the pit. Do not enter manure pits without either: A self-contained air supply like those fire fighters use.

Dust masks or other cartridge respirators will not filter out the toxic gases nor will they provide the oxygen requirement to work in confined spaces such as manure pits.

OR Test before entering. Test the oxygen level to make sure that adequate oxygen is available. Also test for hydrogen sulfide, a particularly toxic gas, to be sure that concentrations are safe less than 10 ppm.

Provide additional forced ventilation. Additional ventilation will increase oxygen and decrease hydrogen sulfide and other toxic gases. Monitor conditions. Agitation from working can increase the toxic gas levels. Monitor conditions while working. When someone collapses in a pit, gases are so concentrated that it is suicidal for anyone else to enter without a self-contained breathing apparatus.

The only reasonable immediate action is to ventilate the storage area and notify rescue personnel who can bring the proper equipment. Barn fans may be activated to provide ventilation, but do not lower fans into the pit because this could cause methane explosion Use a safety line. A worker in a confined space or manure storage area should wear a body harness with a safety line.

Wear a supplied air respirator. Never a pit without one. The person using a respirator should be trained on the use of the mask. It is particularly important that the mask form a tight seal around the face. Provide a clear escape path. Make it as easy as possible for the worker to exit the manure storage area quickly. Don't block the path with tools or objects.

Keep fire away. Methane gas is a byproduct of manure degradation, and it is flammable. Keep fire and other ignition sources such as electrical tools away from the manure storage area. Test the methane level with an explosion meter. Know first aid. Someone on the site should be trained in CPR and first aid. Recognize that conditions are of greatest risk when manure is agitated or moved.

Movement and agitation increase the release of dangerous gases, sometimes several fold.