Having a safe cattle crush – it’s the least you can do

Foreword

Today, Solve Safety is analysing and reviewing this latest reported WorkSafe Victoria’s (workplace safety regulator) News and Safety Alerts. Solve Safety is not identifying the nature of the specific problem of any person or organisation in this commentary but only speculating on what could be happening generally in a situation like this, as described by the regulator’s media press release.

Introduction

Solve Safety is a Triple ISO Certified Professional Services organisation (Safety, Quality and Environmental) that offers specialised support for your workplace safety compliance by providing occupational health and safety advice for workplace’s operational task and activities management (workplace safety compliance made easy) to create the safest and most efficient environments possible, protecting both lives and livelihoods.

Topic Elements

As a learning from the topic elements, Solve Safety has both analysed the background and the timeline of both how and why an incident like this could take place and what judgements or decision reasoning was reached by the workplace safety regulator's published conclusions.

Are You Managing the Hazards When Operating Your Cattle Yards Crushes?

Background

According to WorkSafe Victoria’s recent news, cattle yard workplaces need to be made safe during operational activities and tasks, such as ear tagging and pregnancy testing using separation controls. Cattle crushes should ideally be designed in a way that the head bail operates from behind the animal and stops animals from entering designated workspaces for humans. By isolating the animal from the operator, it will minimise risks to workers from being crushed or kicked when handling stock. This will help operators work in a safe and effective manner, allowing their hands to be kept free from moving parts, specifically away from the head bail of the crush.

Are You Controlling the Risks of Your Cattle Yards Crushes Operations?

According to this WorkSafe Victoria’s news and safety alerts, workplace employers (duty Holders) should ensure they have currently risk assessed and reviewed their operational activities and tasks (harm minimisation) controls for:

• Removal of sharp or protruding edges within animal entrance ways.
• Removal of sharp or protruding edges within the cattle crush.
• Stopping animals access from the lead race to the cattle crush.
• Sheeting the lower portions of the cattle crush sides to guard against limbs being caught between open rails.
• Ensuring operators can’t put their arms through open rails during operational tasks.
• Ensuring closed / latched gates can’t freely swing open.
• Ensuring cattle crushes are regularly inspected, checked and maintained in good condition for safe operation.
• Ensuring that there is no slip, trip and fall hazards in the designated workspaces.
• Ensuring separation controls stopping animals from entering designated workspaces for operators.
• Ensuring the relevant cattle crush features match the operational activities and tasks.
• Ensuring the provision of safe animal restraint.

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