MONROE - To help farmers and emergency response personnel understand the hazards of manure storage and handling systems, a safety workshop will be held from 9 to 11 a.m. Oct. 15 at Brugger Dairy LLC, N4611 Rechsteiner Road, Monroe. Registration will start at 8:45 a.m. The training is sponsored by Green County University of Wisconsin-Extension and Green County Emergency Management and will be held rain or shine.
Manure storage and handling systems have changed in recent years due in part to larger farms, new technologies and application restrictions. These manure storage and handling systems have potential hazards to workers and rescuers that include confined spaces. The gases produced by manure as it decomposes require extra precautions when working with manure storage and handling systems.
Almost every year farmers and children have died from exposure to manure gases and confined spaces on farms. The most recent tragedy took the life of a 29-year-old farmer in Portage County who was not even in a confined space. He had gone out early in the morning on a calm humid day to turn on agitation equipment in an outside concrete manure pit. He was later found dead along with more than a dozen cows after having been overcome by manure gases.
This workshop is designed for emergency response personnel including firefighters, EMT's and law enforcement, as well as farmers and their employees who work in and around manure storage systems and confined spaces. A confined space is a space where entry and exit is limited. The workshop will address confined space and manure gas safety procedures. Confined space and safety equipment, for use with manure storage and handling systems such as gas monitors, ventilation equipment and fall protection, will be discussed.
Speakers at the workshop will include Cheryl Skjolaas, UW-Madison/Extension agriculture safety specialist and Jeff Nelson, UW-Madison machinery specialist and volunteer firefighter. The workshop is free of charge and space is limited to the first 75 people who register. Participants must register by calling the Green County UW-Extension Office at 608-328-9440 or emailing Mark Mayer, UW-Extension agriculture agent at mark.mayer@ces.uwex.edu Registrations are due no later than Oct. 7.
For more information or to pre-register, contact the Green County UW-Extension Office at 608-328-9440 or visit the website at www.green.uwex.edu.
Manure storage and handling systems have changed in recent years due in part to larger farms, new technologies and application restrictions. These manure storage and handling systems have potential hazards to workers and rescuers that include confined spaces. The gases produced by manure as it decomposes require extra precautions when working with manure storage and handling systems.
Almost every year farmers and children have died from exposure to manure gases and confined spaces on farms. The most recent tragedy took the life of a 29-year-old farmer in Portage County who was not even in a confined space. He had gone out early in the morning on a calm humid day to turn on agitation equipment in an outside concrete manure pit. He was later found dead along with more than a dozen cows after having been overcome by manure gases.
This workshop is designed for emergency response personnel including firefighters, EMT's and law enforcement, as well as farmers and their employees who work in and around manure storage systems and confined spaces. A confined space is a space where entry and exit is limited. The workshop will address confined space and manure gas safety procedures. Confined space and safety equipment, for use with manure storage and handling systems such as gas monitors, ventilation equipment and fall protection, will be discussed.
Speakers at the workshop will include Cheryl Skjolaas, UW-Madison/Extension agriculture safety specialist and Jeff Nelson, UW-Madison machinery specialist and volunteer firefighter. The workshop is free of charge and space is limited to the first 75 people who register. Participants must register by calling the Green County UW-Extension Office at 608-328-9440 or emailing Mark Mayer, UW-Extension agriculture agent at mark.mayer@ces.uwex.edu Registrations are due no later than Oct. 7.
For more information or to pre-register, contact the Green County UW-Extension Office at 608-328-9440 or visit the website at www.green.uwex.edu.