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Prairie Swine Centre is an affiliate of the University of Saskatchewan
Prairie Swine Centre is grateful for the assistance of the George Morris Centre in developing the economics portion of Pork Insight.
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HYDROGEN SULPHIDE CONCENTRATION WHILE PULLING PIT PLUGS AND POWER-WASHING ROOMS
Posted in: Pork Insight Articles, Prairie Swine Centre, Production by admin on July 6, 2017
Four pig farms were studied to assess the barn workers’ exposure to hydrogen sulphide (H2S) while pulling pit plugs and power-washing production rooms. Results indicated that plug pulling generated high concentrations of H2S reaching 1,000 ppm in some cases. All the farms studied had plug pulling events that exceeded limits defined by the Occupational and Safety Regulations of Saskatchewan. The H2S released when a plug was pulled did not follow a predictable pattern over time and within the room space. Power washing generated lower H2S concentrations than plug pulling but workers were exposed for a longer time period. Based on this study, swine barn workers may be exposed to H2S concentrations that exceed acceptable limits when pulling pit plugs and power-washing rooms. Personal monitors should be provided to all barn workers and training and standard operating procedures are needed so workers can learn how to deal with routine operations and emergency situations when high H2S concentrations are generated .
H2S CONCENTRATION WHILE PULLING PITS AND POWERWASHING