Ergonomische verbetering van reinigen van stallen en afdelingen = Ergonomic improvement of stable cleaning

Health risks during high pressure cleaning with a traditional cleaner are caused by muscle activity and exposure to vibrations. Exposure to vibrations during cleaning declines when a straight spraying lance is used instead of a bowed spraying lance. An accumulator and a better-balanced rotating nozzle further reduce vibrations. A broad-spraying nozzle hardly vibrates, but its cleaning capacity is insufficient for very dirty areas. Muscle activity can be reduced by using a fingertip handle and a straight spraying lance. The best high pressure cleaning equipment in this study had an accumulator, fingertip handle, straight spraying lance and a better-balanced rotating nozzle. For well soaked farrowing rooms or nursery rooms a broad nozzle can be used. For farms with 300 sows and 2160 finishers annual costs for robot cleaning were ¿ 1170 higher than for manual cleaning. A cleaning robot might be profitable for farms with more than 6750finishing pigs. However: many assumptions had to be made, since several variables were unknown. Other benefits of robot cleaning are: less unpleasant work and health risks, easier labour organization and better image on the labour-market. Cleanability is affected by layout of the buildings and pens, food composition, feeding regime and material choice. Concrete floors and walls must be smooth. Coatings can make them smoother and keep them smoother, as they protect them against chemical and physical influences. It is easier to clean stainless steel than to clean galvanized metal. Surfaces must be flat and accessible for the water jet. Walls must be solid, without bars or pipes, and round pipes are more difficult to clean than diamond-shaped pipes. Seams or crack must be avoided or repaired. The cleanability of many components in the pens or in the stable would improve if swing-back constructions were applied.