The results of a survey of 100 farmers in Northern Ireland has revealed that only 18 percent of those questioned wait the recommended 30 minutes before re-entering a building where slurry mixing has started.

Health and Safety Executive Northern Ireland (HSENI) said the results of its survey were "shocking," as all the farmers who participated in the survey confirmed that they were well aware of the risks from slurry gas during the mixing process. 14 percent of respondents said they waited only five minutes or less before re-entering buildings where slurry mixing was taking place, even though one in five had been directly or indirectly affected in the past by the most deadly gas produced by slurry - hydrogen sulphide.

Commenting on the main findings of the survey, HSENI Chief Executive Keith Morrison said, "It is demoralising that despite the high awareness of the dangers from slurry gas, many farmers are still willing to risk their lives when mixing slurry.

"While the survey was relatively small in scale, it still shows that out of 100 farming professionals, only 18 waited the recommended 30 minutes before re-entering the building after slurry mixing had started. This is not acceptable.

"Farmers should follow all of the recommended safety advice, and at the very least they need to stay out of the mixing building for at least half an hour. Just one breath of slurry gas can cause serious injury or even death."

Also commenting on the findings, Ulster Farmers' Union President Ian Marshall added, "It is disheartening to hear that only a small percentage of farmers waited the recommended 30 minutes before re-entering a building where slurry mixing had started. I am very concerned that farmers are continuing to put their lives at risk by entering the mixing house despite the safety advice being given by HSENI.The dangers of slurry gas are very well-known and it’s hard to think of any excuse which would justify taking the risk.

"One death on a farm is one too many and farmers need to take responsibility for their own safety by following the advice that’s being given. It really could make the difference between life and death, so as we enter into another busy farming year I would like to ask you all to take a minute and think before carrying out any job on the farm."

Other key points from the survey, which was undertaken by the Agri-Food & Biosciences Institute, include:

• only 18 per cent of farmers surveyed indicated they would wait for over 30 minutes before re-entering a house after mixing had started - the most common reason cited for re-entering the building was to check on the progress and to move the angle of the jetter
• 14 per cent of respondents waited for only five minutes or less after the start of mixing before re-entering the building
• 88 per cent moved livestock out of the buildings before mixing started
• 60 per cent of farmers entered a building where slurry mixing had just started to assess mixing progress and move the angle of the jetter
• 75 per cent had safety slats at mixing points, 15 per cent had some safety slats and 10 per cent had no safety slats
• 15 per cent reported one incident where they or a family member had been affected by hydrogen sulphide and five per cent reported more than one incident

HSENI has produced a new slurry gas safety leaflet, ‘Mixing Slurry Safely’, which can also be downloaded at the following link: Slurry Gas - Mixing Slurry Safely (PDF 6.5 MB)