Farm safety - handling animals

Farmers and farm workers can easily be injured by livestock. Cattle, pigs, horses, sheep and other farm animals can be unpredictable and should be treated with caution at all times. Lifting animals can cause injury and animals are also capable of transmitting certain diseases. Plan ahead for any task and get help if you need it.

To prevent farm accidents, assess the breed, temperament, gender mix, size and training of your animals. Remember that both male and female animals may be more aggressive during the mating season. Make sure your workers are adequately trained and familiar with the temperament of your animals. Always wear suitable protective clothing (such as steel-toed boots) and use appropriate aids such as cradles and proper animal-handling facilities.

Risk assessment
You can assess potential risks in many ways:

• Walk through all animal handling areas and look for hazards.
• Consult with farm safety advisers from the Victorian WorkCover Authority – they may provide free consultations.
• Read over injury records to pinpoint recurring dangers.
• Talk over safety issues with workers and other animal handlers.
• Make sure at least one person on the farm is trained in first aid.
• Remember that inexperienced workers and bystanders are more likely to be injured.

• Yards and sheds should be suitable in size and strength for the animals being handled.
• Avoid blind corners and sharp turns in the design of your yard.
• Keep the walkways and laneways dry and non-slip.
• Make sure your gates, footholds and access ways are well positioned.
• Keep all equipment in good repair.

• Make sure the cattle know you are approaching.
• Take care cows may charge to protect their calves.
• Use separate yards for bulls during the mating season, if possible.
• Avoid the danger of crush injury make sure there’s enough room for the cattle to move.
• Try to work beyond the kicking range of the animal or close to its body.
• Use headrails, cradles and crushes to restrain animals when necessary.
• Dehorn your cattle.

• Use appropriate riding equipment that is kept in good repair.
• Wear suitable protective clothing, including a helmet.
• Exercise a horse before you attempt to mount, if it tends to buck.
• Make sure that inexperienced riders aren’t teamed with aggressive or nervous horses.

• Keep boars separate at all times.
• Use a drafting board when moving boars.
• Use nose ropes and crushes to restrain pigs when necessary.
• To lift a pig, sit it down facing away from you, draw it close to your body and pick it up by the back legs, making sure to lift with your thigh muscles.

• Plan musters in advance.
• Assume that every ram will act unpredictably.
• Use suitably trained sheep dogs to control the mob.
• To lift a sheep, sit it down facing away from you, draw it close to your body and pick it up by the back legs, making sure to lift with your thigh muscles.

• Keep your animals appropriately vaccinated.
• Familiarise yourself with the symptoms of animal diseases.
• Treat any sign of illness promptly.
• Practise good personal hygiene – for example washing hands, getting out of soiled clothing and so on.
• Cover all cuts and open wounds before coming in contact with animals.
• If you come in contact with animal blood, urine or saliva, wash well with soap, water and antiseptic.
• Don’t feed offal to dogs.

• Your doctor
• In an emergency, always call triple zero (000) for an ambulance
• National Centre for Farmer Health Tel. (03) 5551 8533
• WorkSafe Victoria Tel. (03) 9641 1444 or 1800 136 089
• Victorian Farm Safety Centre Tel. (03) 5335 3717
• Farmsafe Australia Tel. (02) 6752 8218

• Animals are unpredictable, especially during the mating season.
• Make sure yards, sheds and equipment are in good repair.
• Ensure that workers are appropriately trained and familiar with the temperament of the animals on your farm.

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