Summary of Known U.S. Injuries and Fatalities Involving Livestock Waste Storage, Handling, and Transport Operations: 1975-2019.

HIGHLIGHTS: Approximately ten cases were documented annually over the 44-year period; 48% were in the last decade and 28% were in the last three years, primarily due to more aggressive surveillance and on-line access to incident reports. A total of 389 incidents involving 459 individuals were documented, of which 59% were fatal; >85% of the victims were male, with an average age of 37. 49 rescue incidents involved a total of 119 secondary victims, indicating that approximately 26% of the victims were secondary victims, including first responders. 20% of all victims, when age was known, were children or youth under the age of 21. ABSTRACT: There is limited published research exploring the frequency and causes of livestock waste-related fatalities and injuries among farm operators and workers. While there has been ongoing surveillance of mortality and morbidity involving agricultural confined space-related incidents, such as grain storage facilities, few resources have been invested in estimating the frequency of livestock waste-related incidents, which are often reported as primarily involving confined spaces. Existing surveillance efforts have historically underreported fatal cases, injuries, and near misses and misclassified these incidents as non-farm related. For nearly 40 years, the Purdue Agricultural Confined Spaces Incident Database (PACSID) has been used to document agricultural confined space-related incidents, of which manure storage and handling activities have accounted for 22% of the cases documented. The specific goal of this study was to address the gap in the current understanding of the frequency and severity of injuries associated with livestock waste storage, handling, and transport by: (1) developing a consistent way to identify, document, and code these cases; (2) summarizing all known U.S. cases, both fatal and non-fatal, currently documented in the PACSID; (3) identifying the most significant risks contributing to livestock waste storage, handling, and transport-related incidents; and (4) providing evidence-based recommendations and mitigation strategies to enhance the effectiveness of current injury prevention measures. The PACSID and other sources were mined for relevant data, and an aggressive effort was made to document additional cases through a variety of surveillance methods. A total of 459 individual U.S. cases from the study period (1975 to 2019) were identified, coded using a uniform coding system, and summarized. Overall, cases were documented in 43 states, with 66% (302 cases) documented in heavily agricultural and, more specifically, historically strong dairy production states. Of the cases reviewed, 59% were fatal, males ages 21 to 30 and dairy farm workers were identified as high-risk populations, 20% were identified as under the age of 21, and 49 incidents involved multiple victims. Farm injury data limitations and underreporting were problematic, especially during the early years of the study period. However, the findings provide a foundation for recommending safer workplace safety and health practices, evaluating existing engineering and regulatory standards, assessing the impacts of current injury prevention efforts, and redesigning farm safety programs, especially those targeting livestock workers, to reduce the frequency and severity of these incidents.

Summary of Injuries and Fatalities Involving Livestock Manure Storage, Handling, and Transport Operations in Seven Central States: 1976-2019.

HIGHLIGHTS A total of 133 cases were documented in a seven-state region, with Iowa reporting 43% of the cases and asphyxiations accounting for 42% of all cases. Most victims were male (>79%) with an average age of 38 years. The overall fatality rate was 57%, and 16% of the victims were under the age of 21. Thirteen incidents involved secondary victims, including eleven incidents involving two, one incident involving three, and one incident involving four. ABSTRACT. Research was conducted to document, classify, analyze, and summarize available injury and fatality data involving facilities and equipment for livestock manure storage, handling, and transport in the seven-state region (Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota) served by the Central States Center for Agricultural Safety and Health (CS-CASH). Data were initially drawn from the Purdue Agricultural Confined Space Incident Database (PACSID), which contained over 2,400 individual U.S. cases of agricultural confined space related entrapment, engulfment, entanglement, asphyxiation, and falls that were documented between 1975 and 2019. Data from these cases have been partially summarized and published, but the findings did not include in-depth analysis of manure-related incidents. Approximately one in five (460) of the 2,400+ cases that were documented over 44 years involved storage, handling, or transport of livestock wastes, including exposure to toxic gases. Of these, 133 cases were documented as having occurred in the targeted seven-state region. Each case was identified and coded according to a protocol developed previously to classify incidents related to livestock manure handling, storage, and transport. Iowa and Minnesota accounted for 79% of the total, with swine operations accounting for 33% of cases when livestock type was known. Of the victims, 79% were male. Ages ranged from 1 to 85, with an average age of 38, and 15% of the victims were age 21 and under. There were 13 incidents for which two or more victims were identified, including one incident involving four victims. It is believed that historical under-reporting of incidents, especially non-fatal incidents, continues to be a barrier to achieving a more comprehensive understanding of the scope and magnitude of the problem. However, the findings are sufficient to be used in cooperation with stakeholders to enhance the content and delivery of evidence-based agricultural safety and health programs, promote safer work practices, and contribute to the development of engineering design standards. The desired outcomes of this research include more effective strategies to protect farmers and farm workers who are at high risk of manure-related injuries. The findings also provide a sufficient baseline to gauge the effectiveness of future injury prevention measures.

Farm-Related Injuries and Fatalities Involving Children, Youth, and Young Workers during Manure Storage, Handling, and Transport.

Objective: 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.Methods: 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.Results: 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.Conclusions: 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.

Development of methodology to document and code farm-related injuries and fatalities involving manure storage, handling and transport - with summary of 2017 incidents.

As part of ongoing surveillance of fatalities and injuries involving agricultural confined spaces by Purdue University's Agricultural Safety and Health Program, nearly 300 cases involving manure storage, handling, and transport equipment and facilities have been documented over the past 30 years. With the exception of a summary of 77 fatalities published by Beaver and Field1, these cases have not been previously analysed or published due to a lack of resources and the limitations of the Purdue Agricultural Confined Spaces Incident Database (PACSID) which was designed primarily for analysis of grain-related cases. These limitations included differences in terminology used to code case information in the PACSID and dissimilar causative and contributing factors. To develop a consistent and more useful approach to process and analyze data, 28 U.S. manure-related incidents involving 39 victims documented as having occurred in 2017 were examined for type of incident, victim characteristics, primary contributing factors, and nature of injuries. A review of literature was conducted to identify previously reported contributing factors, and a coding rubric was developed and reviewed by a panel of experts. It was determined that the rubric provided a consistent way to code and analyze descriptive information available on each case. A pilot analysis was completed of the 39 cases using the new tool, and results were summarized. The final methodology will be used to analyze all historically documented incidents, as well as future incidents. Findings presented include a review of relevant literature, discussion of the methods used in case documentation, classifications developed from sample data, and a summary of incidents in 2017. Anticipated outcomes include: 1) consistent strategy to document, code, and summarize manure-related incidents; 2) means of classification of key contributing factors; 3) identification of new or emerging trends; and 4) completion of previously documented incidents.

Utilization and Effectiveness of Harnesses and Lifelines in Grain Entrapment Incidents: Preliminary Analysis.

No previous studies have been found that document the level of use or validate the effectiveness of safety harnesses and lifelines in the prevention of or extrication from grain entrapments or engulfments. This article addresses that void via analysis of the data contained in the Purdue Agricultural Confined Space Incident Database. A total of 1,147 cases involving entrapments or engulfments in grain masses were mined for terms that might indicate the use of a safety harness, lifeline, fall restraint system, rope, or outside observer. Case information ranged from brief news accounts to comprehensive investigation results. The review turned up 38 incidents (< 5%) in which these safety devices were identified as having been used by either workers or rescuers during access to a storage structure. In 26 of the 38 cases (68%) where safety devices were identified, the entrapment or engulfment resulted in a fatality. The two most common reasons cited for failure of these devices were (1) that the lifeline or rope was too long (17 incidents) and (2) that the worker had removed the harness with the attached lifeline while in the structure (6 incidents). It was also determined that these devices, if used improperly, can lead to secondary injuries of the victim. The preliminary evidence suggests that use of these devices alone does not ensure the user's safety and may even provide a false sense of security if used without proper training. It was further found that an approved body harness and safety line provided little or no protection from either entrapment or falls if used in the presence of vertically crusted grain surfaces, without proper anchors, or not in conjunction with outside observers. The presented results are important for safety professionals to consider as they endeavor to reduce the risk of grain entrapment and engulfment incidents through training, education, selection of personal protective equipment, etc., and should contribute to the development of new structural standards for grain bins. It is the intent of this article to elucidate the importance of training and proper use of these safety devices.

Toenail Manganese: A Sensitive and Specific Biomarker of Exposure to Manganese in Career Welders.

Manganese (Mn) is an essential trace metal. It is also a component of welding fume. Chronic inhalation of manganese from welding fume has been associated with decreased neurological function. Currently, there is not a universally recognized biomarker for Mn exposure; however, hair and toenails have shown promise. In a cohort of 45 male welders and 35 age-matched factory control subjects, we assessed the sensitivity and specificity of toenail Mn to distinguish occupationally exposed subjects from unexposed controls. Further we examined the exposure time window that best correlates with the proposed biomarker, and investigated if non-occupational exposure factors impacted toenail Mn concentrations. Toenail clippings were analyzed for Mn using Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS). Exposure to respirable Mn-containing particles (<4 µm) was estimated using an exposure model that combines personal air monitoring, work history information, and dietary intake to estimate an individual's exposure to Mn from inhalation of welding fume. We assessed the group differences in toenail concentrations using a Student's t-test between welders and control subjects and performed a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis to identify a threshold in toenail concentration that has the highest sensitivity and specificity in distinguishing welders from control subjects. Additionally, we performed mixed-model regressions to investigate the association between different exposure windows and toenail Mn concentrations. We observed that toenail Mn concentrations were significantly elevated among welders compared to control subjects (6.87 ± 2.56 versus 2.70 ± 1.70 µg g-1; P < 0.001). Our results show that using a toenail Mn concentration of 4.14 µg g-1 as cutoff allows for discriminating between controls and welders with 91% specificity and 94% sensitivity [area under curve (AUC) = 0.98]. Additionally, we found that a threshold of 4.66 µg g-1 toenail Mn concentration enables a 90% sensitive and 90% specific discrimination (AUC = 0.96) between subjects with average exposure above or below the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienist (ACGIH) Threshold Limit Value (TLV) of 0.02 mg m-3 during the exposure window of 7-12 months prior to the nail being clipped. Investigating which exposure window was best reflected by toenail Mn reproduced the result from another study of toenail Mn being significantly (P < 0.001) associated with exposure 7-12 months prior to the nail being clipped. Lastly, we found that dietary intake, body mass index, age, smoking status, and ethnicity had no significant effect on toenail Mn concentrations. Our results suggest that toenail Mn is a sensitive, specific, and easy-to-acquire biomarker of Mn exposure, which is feasible to be used in an industrial welder population.

Survey of pest infestation, asthma, and allergy in low-income housing.

Low-income housing often has multiple indoor health risks. Among them, pest infestation, pesticide use, and pest allergens are recognized as common risks which affect residents' health. Cockroach and rodent allergens are associated with morbidity and mortality of asthmatics. To characterize the levels of pest infestation, residents' attitudes toward pest control, and the relationships among cockroaches, mice, cockroach allergen level, asthma and allergy rate in public housing, we interviewed residents from 358 randomly selected apartments in Gary, Indiana and assessed the environmental conditions. Dust samples were collected from 101 apartment kitchen floors to analyze for cockroach allergen (Bla g 1 and Bla g 2) levels. Eighty one percent of the apartments were found infested by cockroaches, mice, ants, spiders, or flies. In the 101 apartments evaluated, 98% of the kitchen dust samples had detectable levels of Bla g 1 allergen (>or=0.4 U/g), 52% had >or=2 U/g, and 33% had >or=8 U/g of Bla g 1. Among the 1,173 residents, 13% and 9% had physician-diagnosed asthma and allergy, respectively. Existence of diagnosed asthmatic was positively correlated with mouse infestations.