Dawna L. Cyr
Steven B. Johnson
Maine Cooperative Extension
Silos are very important to many farm opera
tions, but they are also the source of many acci
dents. These accidents include falls, electrocution,
entanglement in augers, and silo gas inhalation.
Safety Guidelines
For Silos
Make silos off limits to children and unauthor
ized personnel. Barricade or lock silos up. Keep
portable ladders away from these areas. All feed
storage ladders should end at least seven feet off the
ground. Make sure these ladders are in sound condi
tion.
When filling or emptying silos, never allow
people in or around them. Warning decals recogniz
able to children should be on silo filling equipment.
Lockout the power supply on all unloading mech
anisms. Serious injuries have occurred when some
one was inside a silo and the unloader started. It is
very important to be able to lock the switch off to
electric or PTO powered silo unloaders. This will
prevent anyone from starting the unloaders when
someone is inside the structure.
If the silo needs work, try to find a way of getting
the job done without entering it. If this cannot be
done, take these safety measures:
• Make sure you have installed ladders inside
and out of all silos. Do not rely on a rope, chain, or
pipe ladder hanging from the roof. They are not re
liable and may obstruct flow during filling or in
crease drag during unloading. If you should become
trapped in a silo, stay near the outer wall and keep
moving. If necessary, you can carefully walk around
the outer edge until the bin is empty and the flow
stops.
• Always use a rope and safety harness when en
tering a dangerous silo situation. Never rely on a
second person outside the bin to whom you shout
instructions. Outside noise may block out or garble
your calls for action or help. The second person may
fall or stumble in the panic and haste of climbing
and running to shut down equipment.
• Always have three people involved when enter
ing a questionable storage situation. Lifting one
person on a rope and safety harness from inside re
quires two people on the outside. One can then go
for help while the other gives preliminary aid.
Respirator) Problems
Farmer’s Lung and Toxic Organic Dust Syn
diome (TODS) are two respiratory diseases that
Entering Silos
Upright Silo Safety
affect farmers. Breathing dusts from decayed plant
material over a period of time can lead to these very
serious diseases.
Farmer’s Lung is caused by dust from moldy hay,
straw, and grain. Anyone who is allergic to hay
mold spores and who breathes air filled with these
mold spores can get Farmer’s Lung.
Symptoms usually occur four to six hours after
being exposed to hay mold spores. These symptoms
include increased coughing and bringing up more
mucous than usual, fever, and sometimes, chills,
installing a water meter on the barn, and keeping a
daily record of water intake. A sudden drop in
water intake is the earliest indicator of a disease
problem.
Over the entire finishing period, water usage will
average about two gallons per head per day. Minim
izing water wastage also minimizes manure output.
During cool weather, the challenge is to provide
an adequate amount of fresh air without creating
drafts or uncomfortable temperatures. During hot
weather, we must provide significant air movement
to keep the pigs from becoming too hot. The advent
of tunnel ventilation (along with foggers and evapo
rative cooling) has enabled producers to keep pigs
comfortable and growing in warm weather.
Cold weather ventilation is more difficult. Pro
viding lots of fresh air often brings drafts and cold
temperatures. Using a very low ventilation rate sac
rifices air quality. It’s sometimes difficult to find a
happy medium, but here are some rules of thumb:
Check relative humidity in the barn during cold
weather. Ideal humidity levels range from 55-75
percent;
Remember that pig comfort is your first priority.
You may have to sacrifice air quality somewhat to
keep the pigs comfortable;
Keep fans, inlets, and curtains functional and
well maintained. Grower finisher barns generally
function well during the first year of operation.
That level of performance can be maintained if you
keep the fan blades and louvers clean, and the cur
tains functional.
(Turn to Page 38)
Key Factors
(Continued from Page 35)
Ventilation and Temperature
Management
Ken Kephart
Penn State Extension
Swine Specialist