COSHH and agricultural workers - key messages
Substances hazardous to health in agriculture include:
- dusts from plants, animals, composted and fermented materials;
- regulated products – pesticides, medicines, feed additives;
- products used in silage making (and off-gases);
- fertilisers and soil improvers;
- paints, oils, lubricants, brake fluids, detergents;
- diseases from animals, eg leptospirosis, cryptosporidium;
- confined spaces and toxic gases, eg hydrogen sulphide;
- vehicle exhaust fumes.
Cleaning activities also give rise to hazardous substances.
Control measures include:
- enclosing transfer points and putting lids on bins;
- filtered air supplies to vehicles;
- dust extraction;
- fresh air blowers;
- respirators;
- skin protective equipment.
Example: grain dust
Grain dust can cause asthma and other diseases when breathed in.
You must reduce exposure to grain dust as far below the WEL of 10 mg/m3 as is reasonably practicable. You normally need to use health surveillance[61]. (Check employees health for any adverse effects related to work. This may involve checking skin for dermatitis or asking questions about breathing and may need to be done by a doctor or nurse.)
Help to identify the right controls is on the agriculture website[62]. Control information for grain dust appears in the following information sheets available from the COSHH essentials information sheets[63].
Visit the Agriculture web pages for more information.[64]
Employees
Your employer provides equipment to protect your health, such as:
- dust extraction;
- personal protective equipment (eg respirator, gloves).
You have a duty to use these properly and co-operate with any monitoring and health surveillance.