This document provides an overview of work safety and health issues on dairy farms. It discusses animal behavior and the risks of injuries from livestock. It also covers confined space hazards, tractor and machinery safety, respiratory hazards, and an overview of relevant OSHA regulations. The document emphasizes using a safety management plan with components like hazard identification, prevention, training, and continuous evaluation to address risks on dairy farms.

1. Dennis J. Murphy, PhD, CSP
Agricultural Safety & Health
Penn State University
djm13@psu.edu
www.agsafety.psu.edu
An Overview of Work Safety and
Health Issues on Dairy Farms

2. Animal Safety
Outline of Presentation
Respiratory Hazards OSHA & Ag Safety & Health Management
Confined Space Tractors & Machinery

3. Animal behavior – Animal-caused injuries
• One out of every 6 on-farm injuries involves
livestock; 2nd only to equipment.
• Caused by biting, kicking, butting, pinning
• Key to prevention:
‒ Become familiar with the
instinctive behavior and
habits of livestock.
Vision & Hearing

4. Animal Behavior – Vision
• Eyes are set wide apart on face giving them panoramic vision
– Cattle: 300 degrees
– Binocular vision: 25-50 degrees in front; perceive depth,
distance and speed.
– Monocular vision on each side;
movement only
• Blind spot directly in front and back
• Vision: 20/60
• Will generally move towards light;
darkness reduces stress

5. Animal Behavior – Hearing
• Ears can work independently, moving towards a sound, so the head
can stay still
• Ears will point towards a sound – usually in the direction the eyes
are looking.
• Funnel shape amplifies sounds, making them louder and clearer
• Are sensitive to high pitch noises; will try to move away from
source
• Background noise (music) may reduce
the startling effect of sudden loud
noises.
• Use your voice to let your animals
know where you are.

6. Animal Behavior – Bulls
• Bulls are not pets -- no matter how they were raised; most
fatalities from gentle, tame, pet bulls.
• A bull’s temperament changes as it matures, from playful
aggression to defensive aggression.
• Dairy bulls should be shifted regularly to prevent strong
territorial behavior
developing.
• Don’t turn your back! You
can’t see signals of
aggression if you aren’t
watching.

7. Animal Behavior – Bulls
• Signals of agitation: staring, rigid body, ears perked, pawing,
high head; lowering head means zeroing in, attack may be
imminent.
• What to do? Look away from the bull; back away slowly;
withdraw by at least 20 feet to remove yourself from the flight
zone

8. Animal Behavior – Bulls
Every bull should have a ring and a bell!

9. Animal Behavior – Bulls
A pass-through allows a person to slip into an area easily
and quickly without opening a gate.

10. Animal Behavior – Bulls
General Safety:
• Pipe fencing to control a large bull is more effective than a wire
fence.
• Design or modify bull holding facilities so bulls may be fed,
watered, and used for breeding with worker having minimal direct
contact.
• Cull bulls that show any signs of aggression, that reach over 2 years
in age, or become unpredictable.
• Never work bulls alone or allow
workers to work a bull alone.
• Plan an escape route before beginning
work.

11. OSHA Confined Space:
A space that:
• Has limited or restricted means of entry or exit
• Is large enough to enter
• Is not designed for continuous occupancy
Confined Spaces on Dairy Farms

12. OSHA Permit-required Confined Spaces:
• Contains or has potential to contain a hazardous atmosphere,
• Contains a material that has the potential for engulfing an
entrant,
• Has an internal configuration that might cause an entrant to be
trapped or asphyxiated by inwardly converging walls or by a floor
that slopes downward and tapers to a smaller cross section,
and/or
• Contains any other recognized serious safety or health hazards.
Confined Spaces on Dairy Farms

13. • Manure Gas Hazards: 1) Oxygen Deficiency; 2) Presence
of Combustible Gases; 3) Presence of Toxic Gases
• None of these conditions can be seen.
• Toxic Gases: 1) Hydrogen Sulfide; 2) Carbon Dioxide;
3) Methane; 4) Ammonia
• Hydrogen Sulfide: colorless; rotten egg odor, deadens
sense of smell; stops ability
to breathe.
Confined Spaces on Dairy Farms

14. Effects of Various Hydrogen Sulfide Levels
Levels in PPM Effect on people
0.13 Minimal noticeable odor.
4.60 Easily detected, moderate odor.
10 Beginning eye irritation.
27 Strong, unpleasant odor, but not intolerable.
100 Coughing, eye irritation, loss of smell after 2-5 minutes.
200-300 Eye inflammation and respiratory tract irritation after one hour of
exposure.
500-700 Loss of consciousness, stopping or pausing of breathing, and death.
1000-2000 Immediate unconsciousness with loss of breathing. Death will occur in
minutes. Death may occur even if individual is removed to fresh air
immediately.
Confined Spaces on Dairy Farms

15. Confined Spaces on Dairy Farms
Best safety practices:
• Post signs that warn people of a potential hazardous atmosphere.
• Develop a written entry plan for each space that is known to be
hazardous.
• Minimum two people at site
• Lockout/Tagout power
• Test atmosphere for oxygen deficiency & combustibles & toxic
gases.
• Ventilate space before entry & continuous while in pit. Use
ANSI/ASABE S607 as guide (http://extension.psu.edu/business/ag-
safety/confined-spaces/manure/standards).
• Wear body harness with life line attached to a suitable anchor
with a mechanical retrieval system

16. Tractor and Machinery Safety
Noisy = hearing loss Rotating parts Collapsing hydraulics
Traffic crashes Floor collapse ATV overturns

17. Hay and Silage Safety Issues

18. Respiratory Hazards and Safety Practices
• Silo Gas (Nitric oxide (NO); Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2); Nitrogen
Tetroxide (N2O4)
• Also called Silo Filler’s Disease
• Reactions often delayed several hours
• Mild exposure-eye irritation and flu like
symptoms (cough, nausea, vomiting,
dizziness)
• Higher concentration: Severe local
irritation, choking and burning in
chest, violent coughing, yellow staining
of mucous membranes, yellow colored
sputum, headache, vomiting
• Death from asphyxiation can occur
hours after exposure

19. Minimizing Silo Gas Exposure:
Respiratory Hazards and Safety Practices
• Immediately level off and place
unloader
• Ventilate silo with silo blower
• Ventilate unloader room, keep doors
closed, lock if children in area
• Post warning sign
• Use portable gas monitor
• Wait ~ 3 weeks to re-enter; wear
SCBA if entering sooner.
• Have 2nd person standing by
• Leave immediately if you smell
gas or feel effects; seek medical
attention

20. Dust Hazards
Respiratory Hazards and Safety Practices
Pulmonary Health Effects:
• Acute respiratory symptom (sneezing)
• Acute and / or chronic airway
obstruction
• Asthma
• Chronic bronchitis (chronic cough,
phlegm)
• Pulmonary fibrosis - Farmer’s Lung
Disease (FLD) - Hypersensitivity
pneumonitis
• Organic Dust Toxicity Syndrome
• General symptoms

21. Understanding Respirators
Respiratory Hazards and Safety Practices

22. OSHA Safety and Health Standards and Agriculture
• Has to be an employer-employee relationship
• OSHA Ag Small Farm Exemption
• OSHA Standards:
‒ Agricultural Standards (29 CFR 1928).
‒ If there is not a standard in Agriculture (29 CFR 1928) OSHA reverts
to General Industry (29 CFR 1910).
‒ If not found in General Industry they then revert to General Duty
‒ Clause Section 5(a)(1).
OSHA General Duty Clause:
• Section 5(a)(1) requires employers to "furnish to each of his
employees employment and a place of employment which are
free from recognized hazards that are causing or are likely to
cause death or serious physical harm to his employees".

23. OSHA Safety and Health Regulations
OSHA Ag Specific Regulations Affecting Dairy Operations:
• 1928.51: Roll over protective structures (ROPS) for agricultural
tractors
• 1928.52: Protective frames for wheel-type agricultural tractors
• 1928.53: Protective enclosures for wheel-type agricultural tractors

24. OSHA Safety and Health Regulations
OSHA Ag Specific Regulations Affecting Dairy Operations:
• 1928.57: Guarding of farm field equipment, farmstead equipment,
and cotton gins

25. OSHA Safety and Health Regulations
OSHA General Industry (29 CFR 1910) Regulations Directly
Applicable to Dairy Operations:
• 1910.111: (a) and (b): Storage & Handling of Anhydrous Ammonia
• 1910.145: Slow Moving Vehicles 1910.1201:
• DOT lighting and markings 1910.1200:
• Hazard Communication
• 1910.1027: Cadmium

26. OSHA Safety and Health Regulations
OSHA General Industry (29 CFR 1910) Regulations Directly
Applicable to Dairy Operations (cont.):
• Occupational Noise Exposure (29 CFR 1910.95).
• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) (29 CFR 1910.132).
• Respiratory Protection (29 CFR 1910.134).
• The Control of Hazardous Energy (Lockout/Tagout) (29 CFR
1910.147)

27. OSHA Dairy Dozen
1. Manure Storage Facilities and Collection Structures:
– Fatal or serious drowning hazards.
– Fatal or serious inhalation hazards.
2. Dairy Bull and Cow Behavior/Worker Positioning:
– Fatal or serious crushed-by hazards.
3. Electrical Systems:
– Electrocution and electrical shock hazards.
4. Skid-Steer Loader Operation:
– Fatal or serious crushed-by, struck-by, caught in-between,
rollover hazards.
5. Tractor Operation:
– Fatal or serious fall, struck-by, caught in-between, and/or
rollover hazards.

28. OSHA Dairy Dozen
6. Guarding of Power Take-Offs (PTOs):
– Fatal or serious entanglement or amputation hazards.
7. Guarding of other power transmission and functional
components: (gears, belts, chains, pulleys, sprockets and idlers,
etc.)
– Fatal or serious entanglement or amputation hazards.
8. Hazardous energy control while performing servicing and
maintenance on equipment:
– Fatal or serious crushed-by, struck-by, caught in-between,
entanglement, or amputation hazards.
9. Hazard communication:
– Serious chemical ingestion, absorption, splash, fire, or other
hazards.

29. OSHA Dairy Dozen
10. Confined spaces:
– Serious or fatal chemical asphyxiation, oxygen deficiency,
inhalation, engulfment or caught-in hazards.
11. Horizontal Bunker Silos:
– Serious or fatal engulfment or struck-by hazards.
– Serious or fatal fall hazards.
12. Noise:
– Serious hearing loss hazards.
OSHA Local emphasis Program (LEP) Resources:
• http://www.nycamh.org/osha-ny-dairy-lep/
• http://fyi.uwex.edu/agsafety/2015/12/01/osha-lep-dairy-dozen-
continues-for-2015-16/

30. Title: Safety and Health
Management Planning for
General Farmers and
Ranchers
Code: AGRS-123
Pages: 64
Cost: $17.00
Online:
http://extension.psu.edu/pu
blications/agrs-123/view
Phone: 877-345-0691

31. Ag Safety & Health Management Planning
Underlying Principles:
– Injuries have identifiable causes which are either
preventable or controllable.
– An injury incident normally derives from multiple
causes
– To be human is to error
– Occupational safety and health is a function of
management

32. Ag Safety & Health Management Planning
1. Management Leadership
2. Employee Participation
3. Hazard Identification and Assessment
4. Hazard Prevention and Control
5. Education and Training
6. Program Evaluation and Improvement

33. 3. Hazard Identification and Assessment
• Three actions for each hazard:
1. Identify hazards
2. Evaluate hazards
3. Rank hazards

36. 4. Hazard Prevention & Control

37. Job Safety
Analysis
Type of job: Unloading Corn
PPE: Work boots with steel toe, leather gloves
Basic Job Steps Potential Hazards Recommended
Actions
Line up the wagon
with auger hopper
Hitting equipment;
spilling grain causing
a slip/fall
Use markers, tractor
mirror, helper
Shut off tractor,
secure it &
dismount
Crushed feet/body
from tractor & wagon
rolling; slips while
dismounting
Shut tractor engine
off, use PARK gear or
neutral w/ brakes
locked. Use chocks if
on hill.
Etc.

38. 5. Education and Training
Training Methods: Structuring the way a group talks
about a topic so that specific learning takes place

39. 5. Education and Training
Job Instruction Technique: a simple yet systematic
method for how you teach or train others. JIT has four steps:
1. Preparation.
2. Presentation.
3. Performance.
4. Follow-up

40. 6. Program Evaluation and Improvement
Can organize by:
• Major components --
Management Leadership,
Employee Participation,
etc.
• Activities -- Hazard
inspections, training
programs, incident
investigations, etc.
• Topics -- Hazardous
materials, noise hazards,
regulations compliance,
etc.
Activity Score Notes, Action to
Improve
Date
Completed
/ Improved
Are safety inspections being
conducted as scheduled?
6
Are workers using
inspection forms correctly?
4 Training scheduled
for early 2014
Are identified hazards being
corrected quickly enough?
6
Are records of inspections
and corrections being kept?
2 Couldn’t find last 3
monthly
inspections. Need
to organize
inspection files
1/15/14
Have the number of
reported incidents reduced
or increased over the past
year?
8
Has the severity of incidents
improved over the past
year?
6 Stayed same
8 = Excellent; 6 = Good but could be improved; 4 = OK but can do better; etc.

41. Dennis J. Murphy, PhD, CSP
Agricultural Safety & Health
Penn State University
djm13@psu.edu
www.agsafety.psu.edu
An Overview of Work Safety and
Health Issues on Dairy Farms