Safety in Livestock

Production
Learning Objectives
1. Explain the importance of farm safety when working with livestock.
2. Discuss four types of hazards related to livestock production.
3. List the safety practices to be followed when working with beef
cattle, hogs, sheep, goats, horses, and poultry.
4. Develop and use a livestock safety checklist.
Importance of Farm Safety
• For protection
- Humans
- Animals
• Life or death situations
• To be profitable
• Farmers who hire labor are required by law to provide safe and
healthy workplaces for their employees.
- They must inform workers about safety practices.
• Employees must be told about their rights and responsibilities under
the regulations of RA 11058
Occupational Safety and Health Standards
(RA 11058)
•Employers are now required to comply with occupational
safety and health standards including informing workers on
all types of hazards in the workplace and having the right to
refuse unsafe work, as well as providing facilities and
personal protective equipment for the workers, among
others.
Animal-related Farm Injuries
• Most people are hurt by Bulls and
boars.
• Almost as many females as males are
hurt by horses.
Types and Kinds of Injuries
•Human factor
•Environmental factor
•Chemicals
•Heat factors
•Handling
Human Error
• The major factor in the cause of accidents
✔ Tired
✔ Inattentive
✔ Poor judgement
✔ Young (curiosity, lack of experience, and
impulsiveness)
✔ Old (lose of strength and agility, failing
vision, overconfidence)
✔ Lack of proper instruction in handling the
animals
✔ Not feeling well
✔ No personal protective equipment (PPE)
Environmental Factors
• Slippery floors
• Manure pits
- Pit gases (hydrogen sulfide, methane,
ammonia, and carbon dioxide) can kill
workers and livestock.
Regulations in Chemical Safety
• Personal protective equipment must be provided to pesticide
applicators or handlers.
• Restricted entry to fields treated
• Workers must be told that a field has been treated with a pesticide and
when it is safe to enter the field aft er treatment.
• Workers must be trained in safe pesticide handling methods
• Water, soap, and towels for washing and decontamination must be
provided and located where they are readily accessible to the workers.
• Emergency transportation to a medical facility must be readily available.
• Farm chemicals should be stored in a safe place.
Heat Factors
• Heat exhaustion - dizziness, nausea, a feeling of weakness, lowered
body temperature, and a cold, clammy feel to the skin.
• Heat stroke - the body cannot get rid of excess heat fast enough by
sweating. Symptoms include rapid pulse and flushed, dry, and
extremely hot skin.
Handling
• Confused and excited animals
• Solid facilities for handling
livestock
Handling of Cattle
• Facilities should be designed so that the worker does not have to enter
a small or enclosed area with animals.
• A mangate or other means of quickly getting out of pens should be
provided.
Catwalks should be a part of chutes and alleys so that the
workers do not have to get into the area with the livestock.
Floors must not be
slippery or be cluttered
with things that might
trip the worker.

Sharp corners, pinch

Lighting should be
adequate so that
workers can see what
they are doing.
• Beef cattle seldom attack a person
• Never approach cattle from the side or rear.
• Sudden noises may startle cattle
- They react negatively to sudden, loud noises,
as well as to high-pitched sounds.
- Do not yell or make loud noises
- Approach the animal from the front while
talking to it.
• May then injure a person by crowding him or her
against a hard surface.
• Always wear boots or hard shoes
• Cattle have limited depth perception and see things in various shades
of black and white.
- Sensitive to movement in their field of vision
- React strongly to contrasting patterns of objects around them
- Cattle sometimes refuse to move across a shadow or bright
contrasting patterns on the floor in front of them.
• Cattle behavior is patterned as a result of previous experiences.
- When handled roughly in working pens, they remember the
experience and it becomes very difficult to get them to re-enter
the area for further treatment.
• The worker should stay in a
position where the animal can
see the worker.
• Very tame cattle are difficult
to move because they no
longer have a flight zone.
• The flight distance may be up
to 200–300 m for feral cattle,
but for feedlot cattle it may be
only 1–5 m.
• Do not try to head off cattle
when they turn and try to go
back into an alleyway.
Handling of Pigs
• Hogs will bite or knock a worker down
- A hurdle or solid panel should be used when
handling hogs.
- It is possible to move a hog backward by placing
a basket over its head
• A sow will attack a person if her pigs are hurt or
threatened.
• Never work with small pigs in the same pen as the
sow.
• Hogs have a tendency to want to stay in or to return
to an area with which they are familiar.
• When an attempt is made to separate a hog from
the herd, that hog will try to return to the herd.
• Sheep and goats are generally not considered very dangerous.
- It is possible to be injured by being butted by a ram or buck.
• Poultry are usually not dangerous, but a person may be pecked by a
hen or rooster.
• Geese and gobblers are more likely than chickens to injure a person
by pecking them.
Handling Horses
• Horses have good hearing, but they do
not see well directly in front or to the
rear.
- Always speak to the horse as you
approach.
- Approach the horse at a 45-degree
angle from the shoulder, never
directly from behind.
• Pet the horse by rubbing its neck or
shoulder.
• Do not reach for the end of its nose.
Stay out of kicking range when walking
behind the horse.
• Do not step over the tie rope or walk
under it.
• A calm, confident manner that is kind but fi rm should be used.
- A nervous handler makes the horse nervous.
• A person should learn the peculiarities of his or her horse and tell
others who may be working or riding the animal about it.
• Never tease a horse.
• If it is necessary to punish the horse, do so at the moment of its
disobedience.
• Never strike a horse around the head.
• Protective footwear should always be worn around horses.
- Boots or hard-toed shoes
Hazards of Animal Diseases
• Zoonoses – diseases and parasites that may
be transmitted between man and animals.
- Rabies, brucellosis, bovine tuberculosis,
trichinosis, salmonella, leptospirosis,
swine erysipelas, ringworm, tapeworm,
and spotted fever.
• Cleanliness, vaccination, quarantine of sick
animals, and avoiding exposure are some of
the ways to prevent these diseases.
• Wear rubber gloves when treating sick
animals.
Personal Protective Equipments (PPE)
Checklists for Farm Safety Practice
• Establish good sanitation, vaccination, and inoculation programs.
• Plan ahead when working with animals in an enclosed space to provide a
way out; have at least two exits from the area.
• Use proper equipment when handling livestock; make sure all pens, gates,
loading chutes, and fences are strong enough for the job and in good
repair.
• Be sure livestock handling is done only by those with enough strength and
experience for the job.
• Use caution when approaching animals to avoid startling them.
• Teach workers the correct safety measures for handling livestock
• Know the animals.
• Be patient with animals.
Checklists for Farm Safety Practice
• Do not work with animals when tired.
• Have enough help available to do the job.
• Be careful when leading animals and handle lead lines properly.
• Do not allow horseplay around animals.
• Keep children and visitors away from animals.
• Dehorn dangerous animals.
• Check equipment carefully when riding horses.
• Do not allow smoking in and around farm buildings and fuel storage and
refueling areas; post no smoking signs in these areas.
• Keep all buildings in good repair.
• Keep electrical wiring in good condition; check insulation, connections,
outlets, and electrical equipment.
Checklists for Farm Safety Practice
• Use adequate lighting in all buildings.
• Use proper ventilation in buildings and silos; make sure vents are clear and
fans operate properly in all confinement buildings.
• Keep floors and ramps clean and free of broken concrete and slippery spots
to ensure good footing.
• Keep a well-maintained first aid kit in all major buildings.
• Keep emergency telephone numbers posted by each telephone.
• Have telephones or radios in vehicles and major buildings
• Keep entrances to grain, feed, and silage storage areas closed and locked to
keep children out.
Checklists for Farm Safety Practice
• Post warning signs in grain and feed storage areas to warn of the hazard of
becoming trapped in flowing grain or feed.
• Use protective equipment such as bump caps, respirators, goggles, and
gloves when needed.
• Store chemicals, fertilizers, medicines, and hardware away from animals
and in a room or building that can be locked.
• Mix all chemicals outside or in an open, well-ventilated area in the building.
• Have first aid equipment and plenty of water available in the area where
chemicals are handled.
• Properly dispose of all chemical containers, following directions on the
label.