Managing Human Risk in Livestock Handling

1. Managing Human Risk in Livestock Handling Steve Isaacs, Laura Powers, G.T. Lineberry University of Kentucky Ted Scharf National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health

2. Work Crew Performance Model • Background • Mining • Construction • Agriculture • WCPM designed to ID critical action-safety factors in a task

3. Procedures • Task: Livestock handling • Focus Group I • Focus Group II • Expert Opinion • Validation • Delivery

4. Procedures • Focus Group I • Harrison Co, KY • Experienced livestock handlers • ID and categorize tasks/activities

5. Procedure • Focus Group II • Montgomery Co, KY • Experienced livestock handlers • Q-sort procedure to ID critical tasks

6. Procedure • Expert Opinion • Ag Engineer • Animal Scientist • Animal Behaviorist

7. Procedure • Validation • Ag Agent Survey • Binary sort • Rank top group

8. Procedure • Delivery • Master Cattleman workshops • Laminated check list • Extension publications

9. Results • Focus Group I • Four groups of safety-action factors • 32 total sub-tasks

10. Four Categories • Environmental conditions (4 sub-tasks) • Animal behavior (7) • Handling facilities and equipment (8) • Safe handling techniques (13)

11. I. Environmental conditions

12. II. Animal behavior

13. III. Handling facilities and equipment

14. IV. Safe handling techniques

15. IV. Safe handling techniques (cont.)

16. Results • Focus Group II • Q-sort of safety-action factor • Sorted into five categories based on perception of “consequences” of failure to perform task • Sort for routine herd health practices • Sort for emergency treatments

17. Original Deck Critical Important Medium Level Critical Important Very Critical Medium Level Very Important Critical Important

18. I. Environmental conditions

19. II. Animal behavior

20. III. Handling facilities and equipment

21. III. Handling facilities and equipment (cont.)

22. IV. Safe handling techniques

23. IV. Safe handling techniques

24. Expert Opinion • Avoid Lone animal • Never tie lead rope to self • Maintenance of latches on squeeze chute • Rear within social groups • Increase caution around bulls • Make sure there are no sharp edges that may cause injury

25. . • Expert Opinion (con’t) • Do not use, or make minimal use of electric prods and sticks • Do not hit an animal of they do not have a place to go • Minimize unwanted noise and visitors • Be cautious around animals that are agitated • Try to handle cattle in groups rather than individually

26. Validation • County Extension Ag agents • Binary sort • Ordinal sort of binary results

27. Most critical safety-action factors Environmental conditions • Avoid handling animals during extreme hot and humid or cold weather • Wear properly fitting clothing and protective footwear Animal behavior • Increase caution around mothers with offspring, and bulls • Understand and utilize the animal’s flight zone

28. Avoid lone animals Caution around mothers w/ offspring

30. Use animal’s flight zone

31. Most critical safety-action factors (cont.) Handling facilities and equipment • Construct sturdy and durable handling facilities • Lay out facilities to take advantage of animals’ natural responses (and behavior) • Use proper and adequate restraining devices (chutes, ropes, head gates)

32. Sturdy, well-designed facilities

33. Most critical safety-action factors (cont.) Safe handling techniques • Be especially cautious around animals that are handled less frequently or are agitated • Don’t trust or take animals for granted or become complacent with routine jobs 3. Match age, experience and skill of the handler(s) to the task

34. Farmer vs Agent Responses I. Environmental conditions • Similar responses II. Animal behavior • Similar except for understanding and using animals’ flight zone. Becomes less critical in the emergency situation for farmers

35. Farmer vs Agent Responses (cont.) III. Handling facilities and equipment • Agents consider layout of facilities given animals’ natural responses more critical • Having available appropriate tools, meds, equipment more critical in emergency situation for farmers

36. Farmer vs Agent Responses (cont.) • Safe handling techniques • Match age, experience of handler(s) to the task more critical to agents than to farmers • Being cautious around animals handled less frequently: ranked #1 for agents, #7 for farmers • Know when to seek assistance more critical to farmers than agents • Similar: Don’t trust or take animals for granted

37. Extension delivery • Master Cattleman workshops • Fifteen, 10-session workshops • Laminated “working chute” checklist • Extension publications videos

38. Extension delivery • To consider the consequences of unsafe livestock handling actions

39. Managing Human Risk in Livestock Handling The researchers in this project gratefully acknowledge the financial and technical support of the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health and the farm families of Harrison and Montgomery counties for their observations, insight, and experiences