Safe handling facilities for stock important in farming world

A sale at a stockyard gives an idea of the facilities required for safe handling.

By Kem Ormond

Yards that are fit for purpose are a pleasure to work in as they reduce injury to humans and animals and take all the stress out of what is often already a difficult job. Plus, the truck drivers loading or unloading your stock will appreciate working with sound and safe yards.

Every year, cattle hurt people, more often than not when cattle kick or crush them. Some are seriously hurt, with broken bones, and sometimes the injuries are fatal.

Some quick repairs to rectify problems will help make your yard work safer, easier, and more comfortable.

If renovation or replacing yards is on your agenda, you should consider looking around at a few different yards and different designs, asking the farmers how the yards work for them and if they would change anything.

I have seen what bulls can do to steel yards, so if you have wooden yards, they probably need repairs done quite often.

You need to check for

Loose or broken rails or catwalk planks and maybe if you don’t have a catwalk you need to have one built.

Gates that are hard to open or broken need replacing or repair – there is nothing worse than a dragging gate.

How is your race working? If you find the smaller cattle are trying to do a 380-degree turn, your race is too wide and needs altering.

Whether you are a cattle or sheep farmer, if you don’t have a head bail, maybe it’s time to consider buying one.

Some of the worst accidents to humans and animals come from nails and screws sticking out of yards. These need to be addressed now.

Yards are not only used to pen up stock, drench them or draft them, they are also now used for rectal scanning, dehorning and pregnancy testing, to name a few other procedures.

You need a safe environment when dealing with larger animals and having the right design and equipment is money well spent.

Training

New staff? This is when you need to put aside time and train any inexperienced staff on the importance of safety in the yards and how to use the equipment. Make sure you always have an escape plan. This may sound strange, but I know many a person who wouldn’t be here today if they’d never stopped to think how they’d get out of the way when an animal decides it’s had enough.

If you are an older farmer, maybe now is the time to let some of those younger, more nimble farmhands carry some of the load. As we age, we don’t seem to be as quick as we used to. Do not work alone, always make sure you have an off-sider collaborating with you at all times, even if it is someone who can’t work in the yards but can be there in case something happens. Wear safe footwear and clothing when dealing with animals in yards, they are unpredictable, and getting pushed against wooden rails when you have bare arms is not a pleasant experience.

Safer handling equipment makes for a safer environment. We need to take responsibility for our own safety and that of our workers.