Citation

Lindahl C, Lundqvist P, Hagevoort GR, Lunner Kolstrup C, Douphrate DI, Pinzke S, Grandin T. J. Agromed. 2013; 18(3): 274-283.

Affiliation

Department of Work Science, Business Economics and Environmental Psychology , Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences , Alnarp , Sweden.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2013, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/1059924X.2013.796906

PMID

23844794

Abstract

Livestock handling in dairy production is associated with a number of health and safety issues. A large number of fatal and nonfatal injuries still occur when handling livestock. The many animal handling tasks on a dairy farm include moving cattle between different locations, vaccination, administration of medication, hoof care, artificial insemination, ear tagging, milking, and loading onto trucks. There are particular problems with bulls, which continue to cause considerable numbers of injuries and fatalities in dairy production. In order to reduce the number of injuries during animal handling on dairy farms, it is important to understand the key factors in human-animal interactions. These include handler attitudes and behavior, animal behavior, and fear in cows. Care when in close proximity to the animal is the key for safe handling, including knowledge of the flight zone, and use of the right types of tools and suitable restraint equipment. Thus, in order to create safe working conditions during livestock handling, it is important to provide handlers with adequate training and to establish sound safety management procedures on the farm.

Language: en