Get the Scoop on Safe Manure Storage
Handling manure brings new risks for farmers to manage and resolve.
March 27, 2025
by Alicia Moore
This time of year, manure lagoons get emptied before the crops go in. It’s a good time to empty manure storage facilities and apply valuable nutrients to fields. Handling manure brings a new set of risks that farmers need to be prepared to manage and resolve.
Consumption of high enough concentrations of any of the gases that could be contained within a manure pit or lagoon — methane, hydrogen sulfide, carbon dioxide or ammonia — can be fatal within minutes.
“It is important to make sure all employees that work on your operation receive annual training on manure storage and safety,” says Dan Kent, Agri-Services Agency loss control consultant. “Ideally, all new employees receive training during the onboarding process, and employees who work directly with manure handling and storage receive additional annual training.”
Training topics should include:
- How to properly test gas levels.
- Warning signs of high or low gas levels.
- How to properly deal with emergencies regarding confined spaces.
- Identifying gases that are present and how to mitigate exposure.
- Description of and recommended use of personal protective equipment (PPE) or life safety devices. PPE should include a life preserver or personal floatation device, a portable four-gas monitor, safety glasses or goggles and respirator or supplied air.
- Hazard recognition around operations with manure lagoons.
The increasing scale and complexity of manure management systems has made manure a significant exposure in today’s livestock operations.
The increasing scale and complexity of manure management systems has made manure a significant exposure in today’s livestock operations. To keep your employees safe, here is a list of safety management tools you can implement today for work around clay-lined and HDPE-lined lagoons:
- Install a textured liner to allow people to climb out of poly-lined lagoons should a person fall in.
- Keep a fence around the exterior of lagoons to keep livestock and people away from the edges of the lagoon.
- Keep life-saving devices, such as a life preserver, nearby.
- Wear a life vest when working near the edges or slopes of a lagoon.
- Use a portable gas monitor when working around or pumping a lagoon.
- Display signage identifying the location of a manure lagoon and alert everyone of adherence to safety procedures.
- Post emergency contact numbers near the lagoon.
- Use lifelines tied off while working on slopes of lagoons.
Always go through safety protocols with employees before work around a lagoon begins. To stay safe, limit unauthorized personnel, never work alone and always have a plan. For additional resources ask your Agri-Services Agency loss control consultant for a best-practices guide with resources.
Contact Agri-Services Agency and have a loss control consultant review your safety protocols. Fill out the contact form at http://www.agri-servicesagency.com/ or call 877-466-9089 for more information.
Editor’s note: Alicia Moore is marketing manager for the Agri-Services Agency, which provided this article. [Lead photo courtesy Agri-Services Agency.]
Angus Beef Bulletin EXTRA, Vol. 17, No. 4-A
Topics: Equipment / Facilities , Feedyard , Labor , Management
Publication: Angus Beef Bulletin
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