Shed safety helps bottom line

Though difficult to measure, injuries also have a social and emotional impact on farm families, but are as real as the financial effects.

Another benefit to improving safety facilities for AB is that the whole artificial breeding process is more efficient – less time is spent in the shed, potentially more cows get in calf and the improvements can help farmers with tasks like tail painting, putting on Kamars, pregnancy testing, and used for veterinarians.

It is also, says Livestock Improvement Taranaki regional artificial breeding manager Rob Henry, essential that facilities ensure AB technicians are safe to perform inseminations successfully.

"If the AB technician is safe they can focus on the job rather than concentrating on avoiding slipping, falling, being crushed, squashed or kicked."

And improving the safety of AB facilities doesn't have to be costly, says Henry.

"Every shed is different, but with most sheds there are usually at least two or three options. By far the best is a purpose built herringbone type bail separate from the milking area and these can be included in any new building or major renovation.

"To avoid spending a lot of money making alterations it is a good idea for farmers to discuss their options with a member of the LIC team, as often improvements can be made quite cheaply.

"For example by constructing a platform that hinges from the pit wall or hangs from the breach rail, herringbone sheds can be improved.

"Chains are not suitable across the bridge in a rotary shed and should be replaced with a pipe or preferably portable platform, as cows will fight against a chain but don't fight against a pipe.

"To ensure a suitable footing for farm staff and AB technicians, steel platforms should be made from a suitable tread plate material."

Henry says in his experience farmers who have made improvements to their AB facilities said it made such a difference they wish they had carried them out years ago.

"Preventable accidents have been reducing among farm staff and AB technicians in the shed over recent years as more and more farmers have implemented safety improvements in the shed.

"Most farmers see the improvements as an investment, generally not needing to cost a lot of money, and if done properly only need doing once."

Under the New Zealand Health and Safety and Employment Act (1992) employers are required to eliminate major hazards to employees if practicable and where there is a hazard to employees at work the employer shall take all practicable steps to eliminate it.

"The most common injuries sustained by AB technicians are a result of being crushed, kicked or slips due to substandard facilities."

Henry says to meet LIC requirements for AB, no artificial breeding technician should be required to stand directly behind the cow without a protective barrier.

"Technicians need to be able to stand behind the cow, with a pipe railing between them and the animal, on a non-slip surface at least 500 mm wide at the same level as the cow.

"It is important cows are properly restrained for artificial insemination. AB technicians are skilled people, and they must place the semen through the cervix no more than one millimetre inside the uterus – any more can cause damage – so if cows are able to move around too much they risk injury."

He says 3.3 million cows were artificially inseminated in the 2010-11 season with each of the 1000 or so LIC AB technicians countrywide performing 2000-5000 inseminations each.

There are some farmers, says Rob, who are reluctant to make changes, based on the fact they may not have had an accident. "But if it is unsafe there will be an accident at some stage."

LIC statistics show by far the biggest injury risk/hazard for AB Technicians is the animal (cow) and the way the shed is set up for handling the animal.

The most commonly reported injuries are caused by crushing and kicking, followed by slips and falls.

For the period of June 2011 to mid October 2011, LIC AB Technicians reported 113 accidents/incidents.

• This article first appeared in Getting the Basics Right 2012 issue