Contractor's discovery 'a stark reminder' of slurry-mixing dangers
An agri-contractor based in Ballinasloe, Co. Galway, made a surprise discovery that could well have saved his life when mixing slurry recently.
Alan Naughton runs a contracting enterprise that focuses on slurry, dung spreading, baling and hedge cutting.
He explained that he was recently mixing slurry for a farmer in his area and happened to notice two hens on the farm had wandered into the shed where the activity was taking place.
As he was preparing to enter the slatted area to inspect how well the slurry was mixing, he discovered that the hens had been overcome by the slurry fumes.
He explained: “What happened was I started agitating at one end of the shed and then I walked around the shed to the outside to see was the slurry moving down at the far end.
Just as I was about to go in on the slats and take a look, I discovered the two dead chickens.
Alan described the incident as “a huge wake up call” and said: “I know as a contractor that there is an awful amount of people that rush straight in after they put the agitator in the tank.
“I always warn my own lads to allow time for the fumes to disperse before going in to a shed to look down at the slurry.”
Concluding, Alan said: “You can’t be careful enough and people sometimes tend to take the hazards for granted when mixing slurry.”
