Dennis J. Murphy, PhD, CSP Agricultural Safety & Health

Penn State Universitydjm13@psu.edu

www.agsafety.psu.edu

An Overview of Work Safety and Health Issues on Dairy Farms

Animal Safety

Outline of Presentation

Respiratory Hazards OSHA & Ag Safety & Health Management

Confined Space Tractors & Machinery

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

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

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.

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.

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

Animal Behavior – Bulls

Every bull should have a ring and a bell!

Animal Behavior – Bulls

A pass-through allows a person to slip into an area easily and quickly without opening a gate.

Animal Behavior – BullsGeneral 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.

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

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

• 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

Effects of Various Hydrogen Sulfide LevelsLevels 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

Confined Spaces on Dairy FarmsBest 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

Tractor and Machinery Safety

Noisy = hearing loss Rotating parts Collapsing hydraulics

Traffic crashes Floor collapse ATV overturns

Hay and Silage Safety Issues

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

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

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

Understanding Respirators

Respiratory Hazards and Safety Practices

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".

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

OSHA Safety and Health Regulations

OSHA Ag Specific Regulations Affecting Dairy Operations:• 1928.57: Guarding of farm field equipment, farmstead equipment,

and cotton gins

OSHA Safety and Health RegulationsOSHA 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

OSHA Safety and Health RegulationsOSHA 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)

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.

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.

OSHA Dairy Dozen10. 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/

Title: Safety and Health Management Planning for General Farmers and Ranchers Code: AGRS-123 Pages: 64 Cost: $17.00

Online: http://extension.psu.edu/publications/agrs-123/viewPhone: 877-345-0691

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

Ag Safety & Health Management Planning

1. Management Leadership2. Employee Participation3. Hazard Identification and Assessment4. Hazard Prevention and Control5. Education and Training6. Program Evaluation and Improvement

3. Hazard Identification and Assessment

• Three actions for each hazard: 1. Identify hazards 2. Evaluate hazards3. Rank hazards

4. Hazard Prevention & Control

Job Safety Analysis

Type of job: Unloading Corn

PPE: Work boots with steel toe, leather glovesBasic Job Steps Potential Hazards Recommended

ActionsLine 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.

5. Education and Training

Training Methods: Structuring the way a group talks about a topic so that specific learning takes place

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

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.

Dennis J. Murphy, PhD, CSP Agricultural Safety & Health

Penn State Universitydjm13@psu.edu

www.agsafety.psu.edu

An Overview of Work Safety and Health Issues on Dairy Farms