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OCCUPATIONAL RISK FACTORS AT BIOGAS PLANTS
Abstract
The use of bioenergy is gradually increasing, so are the number of different technologies to produce it. Particularly during the last years, new biogas plants had been built across Latvia to ensure more efficient use of farming and other agronomic waste or by-products. The aim of the research is to determine occupational risk factors at biogas plants in Latvia. The research summarises the risk factors of the biogas plant environment, compares the results of observations of biogas plants, performs a survey and an assessment of the biogas plants in service and establishes whether the biogas production process complies with the manufacturer's safety requirements. The research identified the following groups of risks: flammable risks; toxicity and asphyxiation risks; health and accident risks; sanitation, pathogen control and veterinary risks. The most common potential causes of accidents are as follows: insufficient knowledge of the operation of biogas plants and escapes of toxic gases that affect health; insufficient safety equipment; insufficient personal protective equipment and low usage of personal protective equipment; absence of visual signalling equipment in an emergency situation. It carried out an economic assessment of costs of improvement of occupational safety as well as of costs of potential accidents.
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