Table 3:
Common agricultural tasks reported by young adult hog producers in the past 12 months.
| Task description | Respirator recommendation** | Proportional response % (N) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| |||||
| Total | Males | Females | P-Value | ||
|
| |||||
| Tasks from 2017–2021 | |||||
|
| |||||
| Working/moving hogs | Recommended if working in dusty buildings or areas | 82.8% (582) | 80.0% (409) | 85.3% (162) | 0.103 |
| Unloading/loading hay or feed | Recommended | 69.8% (491) | 68.6% (351) | 66.3% (126) | 0.575 |
| Cleaning pens, crates, or housing (includes powerwashing) | Recommended when cleaning generates dust, and when powerwashing or using specific cleaning/disinfectant chemicals | 67.4% (474) | 66.8% (342) | 60.5% (115) | 0.575 |
| Feeding hogs† | Recommended | 60.5% (425) | 61.5% (315) | 50.5% (96) | 0.009 |
| Cleaning out grain bins, or feed bins/storage† | Highly recommended | 58.9% (414) | 67.6% (346) | 27.4% (52) | <0.0001 |
| Mixing or grinding feed† | Highly recommended | 45.5% (320) | 49.6% (254) | 30.5% (58) | <0.0001 |
|
| |||||
| Tasks added in 2020* | |||||
|
| |||||
| Administering pharmaceuticals/vaccines | Recommended if working in dusty buildings or areas | 37.9% (85) | 35.5% (53) | 41.2% (31) | 0.401 |
| Transporting hogs on roadways† | Not recommended | 31.5% (71) | 41% (61) | 22% (17) | 0.007 |
| Taking care of youngstock (piglets)† | Recommended if working in dusty buildings or areas | 29.0% (65) | 24.8% (37) | 46.6% (35) | <0.0001 |
| Performing welding tasks on farm | Highly recommended | 19.2% (43) | 26.2% (39) | 5.3% (4) | 0.359 |
*
These tasks were added to the survey in 2020; n=224 (75 females, 149 males);
**
Recommendations from G. Hetzel (2005);
†
Indicates a significant difference observed between males and females using a two-sample Z-test for proportions or two sample chi-square test for proportions if N ≤ 5.