OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH - 13.10.2022

Is poultry dust making staff ill?

Workers in the agricultural sector may be exposed to biological agents that can lead to serious respiratory illnesses. How can working with poultry make them ill and what controls should you put in place to protect your workers?

What is poultry dust?

People working in poultry houses breathe in many different airborne particles, collectively known as poultry dust. It’s a mixture of bird feed, bedding material, bird droppings, feathers and dead skin, dust mites, bacteria, fungi and moulds. Levels of poultry dust depend on several things, e.g. the growing or production system, the type of housing, the type and age of the birds, etc.

Which activities generate poultry dust?

There are several typical activities that create airborne poultry dust, capable of causing respiratory disease. These include:

laying down bedding, e.g. straw/wood shavings
populating poultry houses with young birds
routine cleaning including using air blowers or brushes to sweep away debris
catching poultry including walking through birds to check their welfare
litter/manure removal
cleaning poultry houses after depopulation.

What are the symptoms?

Poultry workers often have breathing problems at work such as coughing, shortness of breath, wheezing and chest tightness. They may also suffer from watery or itchy eyes, sneezing or a runny nose and may have ‘flu-like symptoms with headache, muscle aches and sore throats.

How does this concern you?

Respiratory disease is a major occupational risk for staff working in agriculture. As well as developing occupational asthma it can aggravate symptoms in those who already have respiratory problems. Workers may develop permanent breathing problems and become unable to work. This not only affects individuals, but has wider cost implications for employers and the poultry industry as a whole.

How can you control the risks?

Respiratory diseases are preventable. There are simple, cost-effective steps you can take to avoid respiratory disease at work, including:

set up good working practices, including training
provide the correct respiratory protective equipment (RPE) and face-fit testing
regularly observe staff to make sure they do not remove their RPE in areas of high risk
encourage staff to report symptoms of respiratory ill health immediately.

What does the law say?

The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 require you to assess the risks of poultry dust, provide adequate control measures such as information, instruction and training and provide health surveillance.

How to select the right RPE

Choosing RPE from the vast range of products available can be daunting. You must ensure that it’s used properly once purchased, so you need to make sure staff are trained. Tip. Use our RPE checklist to guide you through the process of selecting the right products and managing their introduction and ongoing use in the workplace (see The next step ).

For our RPE checklist, visit https://www.tips-and-advice.co.uk , Download Zone, year 21 issue 03.

Working with poultry exposes staff to the risk of serious respiratory problems such as asthma through inhaling particles such as straw, feathers, droppings, etc. Protect your workers by assessing the risk, implementing good hygiene practices and providing the correct respiratory protective equipment.