Swine Production & Management

1. Swine Production & Management Working Safely With Hogs

2. Working Safely With Hogs

3. Handling Swine Understand behavioral characteristics of pigs for easy handling • Pigs angle vision is >300 degrees • able to see behind them without turning their heads • Pigs are sensitive to sharp contrasts in light and dark • Pigs will balk or be reluctant to move if • encounter shades • puddles • bright spots • change in flooring type or texture • metal grates • flapping objects

4. Moving Hogs Loading from inside a building • Line hogs single file or in pairs before going outside • Lights inside a building or truck will attracts them • tendency to move from a darker to a bright area Pigs stops at solid barriers placed in front of them • Use a small portable panel to efficiently move and sort them • wood, plastic or light aluminum • block the hog’s view • prevents hogs from going in to the wrong direction • Sorting panels should be the same wide of the alley or shute (minus an inch) and 36-42 inches high

5. Moving Hogs • Alleys should have solid sides and gradual corners • open sides distract hogs • blind corners confuse them • Loading shutes are usually wide enough for one hog • work better if they are wider for two hogs to walk side by side • Squeeze pen located between the alley and the shute or truck makes loading easier • should hold 10 to 20 hogs • circular design is preferred

6. Herdsmanship Know where to tap a hog to direct it’s motion • Moving the hog forward • tap him with your hand on top of it’s back • just in front of its tail • use a firm tap, but don’t hit the pig - a “love tap” • To turn the hog direction • tap should be placed just behind the hog’s ear • to turn left • tap behind the hog’s right ear • to turn right • tap behind the hog’s left ear • Hollering is very useful • not screaming, not cursing…hollering • “hey” or “whew” • hogs don’t like it when humans holler

7. Hazards in Animal Housing • Air Pollutants in Animal Housing • Dust and Other Aerosols • Ammonia • Hydrogen Sulfide • Other Gases • Odors • Air Quality Control and Management • Mechanical Hazards • Electrical Hazards • Noise • Fire • Children in Buildings • Safety Signs

8. Ammonia ( NH3 ) • Ammonia is produced by bacterial action on urine and feces during decomposition • Comes off of the floors and from the manure pits • Levels in animal buildings can be sufficiently high to affect human health • Ammonia control • Frequent removal of waste • Management of indoor moisture • Adequate ventilation • ventilation dilutes ammonia concentration and tends to dry floors and litter • reduces the rate of ammonia release

9. Hydrogen Sulfide ( HS ) • Is an acutely toxic gas produced by the decomposition of animal manure • Often released into the air when liquid manure is agitated • Its odor is not an indication of its concentration • Above 6 ppm the odor increases as concentration also increases • The OSHA limits exposure to 10 ppm for an 8 hour, 5 day exposure • At levels above 50 ppm human evacuation is recommended • Levels increase to 1500 ppm when swine pit manure is agitated • Levels above 500 ppm cause unconsciousness and death

10. Hydrogen Sulfide ( HS )(continued) • Workers should wear a self contained respirator if exposure to HS is expected • Hazards created during manure agitation can be controlled by: • Providing ventilation during manure pumping • Removing the manure • Preferable when • people and animals are absent from the building

11. Other Gases Methane ( CH4 ) • A natural product of manure decomposition • nontoxic • High concentrations produces • dizziness and even asphyxiation • Flammability of methane: Main Safety Concern • CH4 can be explosive at concentrations over 50,000 ppm • valuable as an energy source • NIOSH (National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health) recommended Daily exposure • 1,000 ppm per 8 hour work period • Control: • proper ventilation generally dissipates methane from animal housings

12. Carbon Dioxide ( CO2 ) • Produced by manure decomposition and animal respiration • nontoxic gas • High concentrations can cause • asphyxiation by reducing available oxygen • Concentrations in well ventilated buildings can range • 1,000 ppm during summer • 10,000 ppm during winter • OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) permissible exposure level for CO2 • 10,000 and 30,000 ppm respectively per 8 hour and 15 minutes work period • Control • proper ventilation • CO2 control is important in cold climates

13. Carbon Monoxide ( CO ) • Product of the incomplete combustion of hydrocarbons • its colorless, odorless, and has nearly the same density as air • CO hazards in animal production operations caused by • combustion heaters malfunction • operational heaters or internal combustion engines • without venting the combustion products outdoors • Winter: Most dangerous period • buildings are usually closed and ventilation rates are at its lowest • OSHA and NIOSH recommended threshold limit values • 40mg/m3 or 35 ppm for an 8 hour work period • Control • combustion heaters and engines should always be vented to the outside

14. Mechanical Hazards • Fans • unguarded fans are dangerous, must have guards or screens so people cannot touch any moving parts • Winches • workers operating winches must be careful to avoid releasing the winch before the object is fully raised or lowered • accidentally striking a winch under tension can cause it to release • Augers • must be properly guarded • before any maintenance the equipment must be unplugged, or switch off at the control and breaker box • Steel Cables • worn or frayed could produce gashes and puncture wounds on hands • wear a sturdy pair of work gloves to prevent these wounds • Housing Floors • can be slippery and obstructed by equipment and railings • use a good pair of work boots to prevent falls and foot injuries

15. Electrical Hazards Due to faulty electrical wiring • Risk of shock • Potential for fire • Destruction of good equipment • motors and pumps • Use wiring practices that protects electrical cable and system components • from abuse by livestock and rodents • avoid exposure to tractors and feeding equipment • Appropriate design and reliable installation of electrical systems are crucial to

16. Noise • Sound levels are measured in decibels (dB) • Soft whisper is about 30 dB while a 120 dB will cause pain • OSHA limits noise exposure to ~ 90 dB over an 8 hour shift • Tractors and other farm machinery cause the most noise • in livestock housing - animals and machinery produce significant noise • swine buildings - at feeding time 115 dB can be reached

17. Fire • Factors that facilitate fire in livestock buildings • Improper storage of combustibles, unsafe electrical wiring and lightning • Reduce fire incidents • Construct building with fire retardant materials • Combustibles - discard from building those not frequently used • stored frequently used in a fire retardant compartment • Use wiring material and equipment meeting the requirements of the National Electric Code • All electrical equipment (fuses, junctions, and outlet boxes) should be kept free of grease and dust • Place 10 lb ABC type fire extinguishers in all major buildings near exits

18. Children in Buildings Animal production facilities are attractive playground to children • Because of their complexity and potential for danger • no one should treat animal production facilities as play areas • lack of experience • makes children vulnerable to injuries in agricultural environments • young children visiting these facilities • should be supervised by trained production personnel • older children should be allowed to work in these environments • providing adequate training and with parental supervision

19. Safety SignsClassified according to the use hazards and risk involved The categories of hazard are: Toxicity / Poison Explosive Potential Flammability Corrosive The categories of risks are: Danger Warning Caution

20. Personal Protective Equipment • Head Protection • Eye Safety • Respiratory Protection • Hearing Protection • Hand Protection • Body Coverings • Foot Protection • First Aid

21. Head Protection:Hard hats • Eye Safety:Safety glasses, goggles, face shields • when handling or applying pesticides • Hearing Protection: Earmuffs and Ear plugs • from noise produced from farm machinery and hogs

22. Sound - measured in decibels (dB): 85 dB is the loudest sound workers should be exposed to for 8 hours or more. • Examples: Normal conversation 60 dB John Deer Tractor 8560 tractor 76 dB Massey Ferguson 750 combine 90 dB Swine confinement at feeding 133 dB • Wear protective equipment • disposable foam or reusable rubber earplugs • hearing protector earmuffs

23. Respiratory Protection: Masks and Respirators • From dust and chaff • Toxic gases and chemicals • Welding fumes and low oxygen atmospheres • Silos and animal confinements • large livestock waste and manure dust

24. Body Covering: Aprons (leather and rubber), chemical resistant coveralls and chainsaw safety chaps • leather aprons: used when welding • protects from burns from splattering molten metals and slag • rubber aprons: needed when handling liquids or concentrated chemicals • protects the groin area from chemical splashes • this area absorbs chemical 10x faster than through the forearm • chemical resistant coveralls:excellent protection from pesticide dusts and mists

25. Foot Protection:Steel toe safety shoes and boots (rubber or leather) with puncture resistant soles • from sharp objects • dropped heavy objects • heavy livestock stepping on your feet • chemical hazards (steel toe safety rubber boots) • First Aid (FA) : all vehicles and buildings should have a first aid kit • get appropriate first aid training • in your FA kit include emergency numbers • check FA kit content every three months • label all FA kits • include flares and flash light in your FA kit • emergency signals -extra help