Occupational risk factors in small stockbreeding farms including Lithuanian conditions

Abstract

Animal husbandry is one of the agricultural sub-sectors, which might have negative influence on human health and has a vast number of occupational risk factors on workers. As small (family) animal husbandry farms (up to 50 cows) are prevailing in Lithuania and consist ~67 % of the total number, special attention should be focused on the reduction of occupational risk factors in such farms, as they have a significantly higher risk level because of lack of resources and safety culture. The aim of this article is to identify and assess the prevailing occupational risk factors in such stockbreeding farms in Lithuania.Most common risk factors include dust, thermal environment, noise, ergonomic and physical load factors as well as biological risks. It was found that noise level during breeding and automated distribution of forage might be as high as 87.3 dB(A), while concentration of particulate matters (PM10) might reach the value of 2.2 mg·m-3 during the manual distribution flour in the cowshed. Thermal environment in small cowsheds is within 7 and 12 degrees while the humidity of air might reach 90 %, which can be attributed as unfavourable working conditions. As most works in such farms are done manually, parameters of physical activity were collected during milking, manual manure removal and feeding operations. Maximum physical loads were found for manual feeding (pulse value of 135 pulses per minute), manual manure removal to the scraper (120 pulses per minute). Such works are attributed as very hard physical labour.