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 Evaluate today’s weather Evaluate today’s surface conditions Wear properly fitted clothing and protective footwear Avoid handling animals during extreme hot or cold

12. II. Animal behavior Understand gender and breed behavioral differences Take advantage of your knowledge of the animal’s historical behaviors Assess the degree of animal’s agitation and anxiety Operate within the animal’s natural daily patterns Increase caution around mothers with offspring Understand and utilize the animal’s flight zone Take advantage of the animal’s herding instinct

13. III. Handling facilities and equipment Lay out facilities to take advantage of animals’ natural responses Design for appropriate capacity and expansion Construct sturdy and durable handling facilities Provide escape gates and barriers Match cost and complexity to herd composition, size and location(s) Judiciously use proper handling aids (prods, sticks, shocks) Use proper and adequate restraining devices (chutes, ropes, halters Organize and have available appropriate tools, medications and equipment

14. IV. Safe handling techniques Match age, experience and skill of the handler(s) to the task Be especially cautious around animals that are handled less frequently Minimize unwanted noise during animal handling Use extra caution when loading, transporting and unloading animals Plan an escape route Dedicate appropriate number of workers to task (too many or too few) Use a calm voice, deliberate actions and confident approach

15. IV. Safe handling techniques (cont.) Don’t’ trust or take animals for granted or become complacent with routine jobs Use proper lifting techniques Know when to seek assistance (veterinarian, additional worker) Alternate tasks to avoid repetitive stress/motion injuries Take special precautions to avoid cuts and needle pricks Minimize exposure in the “kicking zone”

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

18. I. Environmental conditions RoutineEmergency Evaluate today’s weather2.641.80 Evaluate today’s surface conditions2.431.40 Wear properly fitted clothing and protective footwear 2.792.20 Avoid handling animals during extreme hot or cold 2.641.60

19. II. Animal behavior RoutineEmerg Understand gender and breed behavioral differences 2.503.07 Take advantage of your knowledge of the animal’s historical behaviors 3.143.00 Assess the degree of animal’s agitation and anxiety 3.143.13 Operate within the animal’s natural daily patterns2.431.80 Increase caution around mothers with offspring4.143.73 Understand and utilize the animal’s flight zone3.292.87 Take advantage of the animal’s herding instinct2.861.93

20. III. Handling facilities and equipment RoutineEmerg Lay out facilities to take advantage of animals’ natural responses 3.292.07 Design for appropriate capacity and expansion 2.861.93 Construct sturdy and durable handling3.713.47 Provide escape gates and barriers3.433.27

21. III. Handling facilities and equipment (cont.) RoutineEmerg Match cost and complexity to herd composition, size and location(s) 1.861.67 Judiciously use proper handling aids (prods, sticks, shocks) 3.002.53 Use proper and adequate restraining devices (chutes, ropes, halters 4.07 Organize and have available appropriate tools, medications and equipment 3.503.60

22. IV. Safe handling techniques RoutineEmerg Match age, experience and skill of the handler(s) to the task 2.792.73 Be especially cautious around animals that are handled less frequently 3.072.73 Minimize unwanted noise during animal handling 2.853.27 Use extra caution when loading, transporting and unloading animals 3.292.33 Plan an escape route3.713.67 Dedicate appropriate number of workers to task (too many or too few) 2.362.20 Use a calm voice, deliberate actions and confident approach 3.143.53

23. IV. Safe handling techniques RoutineEmerg Don’t’ trust or take animals for granted or become complacent with routine jobs 3.503.73 Use proper lifting techniques2.001.87 Know when to seek assistance (veterinarian, additional worker) 3.573.73 Alternate tasks to avoid repetitive stress/motion injuries 2.292.07 Take special precautions to avoid cuts and needle pricks 2.142.53 Minimize exposure in the “kicking zone”3.503.07

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 1.Avoid handling animals during extreme hot and humid or cold weather 2.Wear properly fitting clothing and protective footwear Animal behavior 1.Increase caution around mothers with offspring, and bulls 2.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 1.Construct sturdy and durable handling facilities 2.Lay out facilities to take advantage of animals’ natural responses (and behavior) 3.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 1.Be especially cautious around animals that are handled less frequently or are agitated 2.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.) IV.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