Assiniboine Community College offers a hydrogen sulfide awareness program designed to familiarize swine barn workers with the dangers posed by hydrogen sulfide gas and the techniques that will minimize those risks.

ACC agriculture extension program coordinator Mary Petersen says the program outlines procedures for minimizing the risks posed by H2S as well as the reasons for those procedures.

Mary Petersen-Assiniboine Community College
It looks at hydrogen sulfide gas, what the gas is, where it's created, how it's created and then we start looking at what are the properties of the gas and we also take a close look at how it affects humans.

Hydrogen sulfide gas is a very clinging gas and most people don't understand that.

It's when there's agitation so, as soon as there's some movement or agitation of that manure, that gas can be released and it can be released in high enough parts per million that it can knock someone down or it could even kill them.

We start taking a close look at barn construction, how barns are designed, how they're built and we can take a close look at identifying the hazards and then trying to lessen the hazards.

We've got standard operating procedures and a lot of the barns have now established those but it's now a matter of people understanding why those standard operating procedures exist.

ACC offers its hydrogen sulfide awareness program on an "as needed" basis.

Petersen notes the need has remained continuous since the program's introduction and she estimates, over the past four years, 700 people have completed the four to five hour course.

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