Identifying physical hazard for intensive pig and cattle breeding operators and defining prevention measures

This paper describes the results deriving from a survey, carried out at regional level about the implementation of safety prevention in agriculture. The main physical, chemical, and biological hazards connected to cattle and pig breeding, important zootechnical activities in Lombardy, were detected and quantified. In particular, the results related to the quantification of risks due to noise, lighting, and microclimate are considered here. The overall situation emerging from the study did not appear to be much critical. Noise levels were generally lower than 80 decibels in dairy cattle farming, but they could increase on account of mechanized operations, a case where the quantification of the risk depended on the type of machinery implied (with or without cabin). During milking, noise values might range between 70 and 75 decibels. Exposure to noise in pig farms derived from the use of machinery and from stressed animals. Lighting conditions showed very different in both types of breeding. Lighting levels were usually lower than the values in UNI EN 12464 standard; in some cases over measured lighting systems were found. Neither maintenance nor cleaning of bulbs resulted to be carried out on a regular basis, which decreased lighting levels. Uncomfortable thermal conditions for milkers were found in dairy cattle farms in winter as all milking premises were not heated. In pig farms, the microclimate hazard concerned operators working in a very hot environment and having to withstand strong thermal shock in winter.