ACCIDENTS RELATED TO MANURE IN EASTERN SWITZERLAND - AN EPIDEMIOLOGIC-STUDY

Objectives-Liquid manure systems and manure pits are major hazards in the agricultural workplace. The incidence of accidents related to manu re is unknown. The objective of this study was to survey the liquid ma nure facilities of farms in eastern Switzerland and find the incidence of accidents related to manure in the region. Methods-Retrospective c ohort study and cross sectional survey of 210 farms in eastern Switzer land. Results-The incidence of accidents related to manure was found t o be 10-4/1000 person-years. Most accidents were categorised as minor- that is, had a benign outcome for the people involved or involved anim als only. One in 33 of the farms surveyed was the scene of an accident related to manure each year. Conclusions-The medical literature on ac cidents related to manure mostly reports accidents with catastrophic o utcomes. This study shows that this type of accident is only the tip o f the iceberg. Most of the accidents reported in this study belong to a category that has hitherto been un-noticed and unreported. The term ''accident related to manure'' covers a broad range of events, and tho se resulting in serious human illness or death represent only a small part of this spectrum. A wide variety of liquid manure systems were fo und on the farms surveyed. Very few liquid manure facilities conformed to published safety standards.