How to create safe handling facilities for stock - Kem Ormond

Yards are used for many procedures, not just to pen up, drench and draft stock. Photo / John Stone

Kem Ormond is a features writer for NZME community newspapers and The Country.

OPINION

Yards that are fit for purpose are a pleasure to work in, as they reduce injury to both humans and animals and take all the stress out of what is often a difficult job.

Plus, the truck drivers who are loading or unloading your stock will appreciate working with sound and safe yards.

Every year, cattle hurt people, more than often when cattle kick or crush them.

Some get seriously hurt, suffer from broken bones, and sometimes it is fatal.

A few quick repairs to rectify some of the problems you may have will help make your yard work safer, easier, and more comfortable.

If renovation or replacing yards is on your agenda, then you should consider looking around at a few different yards, and different designs and asking the farmers how they 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 frequently.

What to check for

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

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

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

Whether you are a cattle or sheep farmer, if you do not have a head bail, maybe it is time to consider purchasing one.

Some of the worst accidents to both 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 or drench them or for drafting, but they are also now used for rectal scanning, dehorning and pregnancy testing, to name a few other procedures.

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

Training staff

Always work in your yards with someone else.

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 had never stopped to think how they would get out of the way when an animal decides it has had enough.

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 safety and that of our workers.