10 tips for safer livestock handing
29th September 2022
- Take the time to understand the behaviours of the livestock you are working with.
- Make sure they are handled by trained workers.
- Consider the agility of people over 65 years. As we get older we can’t move as quickly.
- Make sure your working area is safe and has safety measures in place. It should have good handling facilities, adequate gates, a well maintained crush, fence heights appropriate for the animals being managed.
- Always have an escape route or refuge for emergency situations while working with animals.
- Stop disease or infection passing from animals to humans by ensuring you have good personal hygiene practices and wear the correct PPE when working with animals.
- Always be careful around cows and heifers with new-born calves and NEVER turn your back on a cow following calving.
- Ensure only persons authorised and familiar with cattle or those undergoing supervised training are allowed to enter the cattle barns and pens or milking parlour and handle the cattle, especially if this involves working with any bulls.
- Where possible ensure there are two people present.
- Do not allow young children to enter cattle housing or handle cattle.