Managing Farm Safety and Health Video Series - Livestock Safety

Summary

This safety-focused script warns that over 40% of farm accidents involve livestock, with bulls and cows with calves posing notable risks. It explains animal behaviour basics — flight zones and points of balance — and gives practical guidance for routine tasks like herding, loading and calving. Key recommendations include using secure handling facilities, well-designed pens and gates, clear escape routes, signage for bulls, and mobile communication when checking animals in fields. It stresses careful selection of breeding stock for docility, cautious handling of bulls (including restraint requirements), infection prevention through vaccination and hygiene, and special vigilance for older farmers.

Takeaways

• 😀 Over 40% of all farm accidents, fatal and non-fatal, involve livestock, with cows and bulls being particularly dangerous during routine tasks like herding, loading, and vaccinating.
• 😀 18% of all farm fatalities are caused by livestock, with cows, especially those with calves, accounting for 35% of these livestock-related fatalities.
• 😀 Farmers should plan tasks carefully, ensure secure facilities, and use veterinary products when necessary to reduce risk during livestock handling.
• 😀 Livestock, like cattle, have a comfort or flight zone, which can be used to move them safely. Intruding too deeply into this zone may cause panic.
• 😀 The size of the flight zone depends on the animal's wildness or tameness, and understanding how to use it effectively can help handlers move cattle safely.
• 😀 The animal's point of balance is at its shoulder: standing behind it moves the animal forward, while standing in front of it makes the animal back up.
• 😀 Protective behavior is common in cows and heifers, especially when they are with calves. This risk is heightened during stressful situations like calving, dehorning, and weaning.
• 😀 Never turn your back on a cow or bull. Ensure physical barriers are in place during handling, and have a clear escape plan if problems arise.
• 😀 A well-designed calving pen should allow a cow to be securely restrained without entering the pen and provide a safe space for interventions like injections or calving assistance.
• 😀 Bulls should be managed with caution due to their changing temperament from playful aggression to defensive territorial aggression. Always have an exit strategy when working with large animals in the field.
• 😀 Ensure safe fencing and gate maintenance around fields with bulls. Always inform someone of your location, carry a mobile phone, and have an escape route when checking animals in the field.
• 😀 Loading animals is stressful, but low trainers can make it easier for animals to enter pens. Aggressive animals should be culled from breeding stock, and proper hygiene is essential to prevent zoonosis.

Q & A

What percentage of all farm accidents involve livestock?

Over 40 percent of all farm accidents, both fatal and non-fatal, involve livestock.

During which activities do most livestock-related accidents occur?

Most accidents occur during routine tasks such as herding, loading, drenching, vaccinating, testing, and handling cows at calving.

What proportion of all farm fatalities are caused by livestock?

Eighteen percent of all farm fatalities are caused by livestock.

Why are cows with calves considered particularly dangerous?

Cows with calves are highly protective and account for 35 percent of livestock-related fatalities, especially during stressful times such as calving, dehorning, and weaning.

What should farmers do before working with animals to ensure safety?

Farmers should plan the task carefully, ensure facilities are secure, have veterinary products ready if needed, and determine whether assistance is required.

What is an animal’s 'flight zone' and how can it be used safely?

The flight zone is the animal's personal space. Understanding and using it helps handlers move animals safely. Entering too deeply into the flight zone can cause panic, while proper use enables calm and effective movement.

What is the 'point of balance' in cattle handling?

The point of balance is located at the animal’s shoulder. Cattle move forward when a handler stands behind this point and move backward when the handler stands in front of it.

What are key safety practices when handling cows and heifers with calves?

Never turn your back to them, always have a physical barrier during handling, and ensure safe restraint systems such as well-designed calving pens are used.

Why is a nose ring required for breeding bulls, and what precautions should be taken?

A ring is required at about 10 months of age to improve control. It should only be fitted under proper restraint in a crush, and when at pasture, a chain is recommended to help control the bull if it becomes aggressive.

How does a bull’s temperament change with age?

As bulls mature, their temperament changes from playful aggression as yearlings to more defensive and territorial aggression at two to three years old.

What precautions should farmers take when checking animals in a field?

Farmers should inform someone where they are going, carry a mobile phone, plan an escape route, have a refuge like a tractor or jeep, and remain vigilant at all times.

What features should a well-designed bull pen have?

It should allow feeding and bedding without entering, be securely fenced, well-maintained, and positioned so the bull can see other animals.

How can animal loading be made safer and less stressful?

Using low trailers and well-designed handling pens encourages animals to enter calmly and reduces stress and risk during loading.

Why should aggressive animals be culled, and how can docility be assessed?

Aggressive animals pose serious safety risks. Docility data from ICBF can be used to select calmer breeding stock or replacement females, and aggressive animals should be culled at an abattoir.

What are zoonoses, and how can farmers reduce infection risks?

Zoonoses are diseases transmitted from animals to humans. Farmers can reduce risks by vaccinating animals, wearing protective clothing, and washing and drying hands before eating or drinking.