Dairy safety: A practical safety guide

What it contains

Working on a dairy farm presents many risks to your health and safety. The size and individual characters of dairy cattle, dangerous machinery and chemicals, risks in the workplace and heavy or repeated tasks all increase your risk of being injured or killed.

Poor hygiene, effluent and cattle diseases can also affect your health and safety. This document includes:

• the psychological risks of dairy farming and keeping children safe on farms
• safe handling of dairy cattle
• proper design, risk controls and safe maintenance of dairies, including machinery
• how to safely manage effluent, chemicals and hygiene
• how to use personal protective equipment
• how to manage and reduce the risks of traffic
• how to safely manage exposure to noise, electrical hazards and extreme temperatures
• how to manage the risk of slips, trips and falls from heights
• how to prepare for, manage and respond to emergencies
• your responsibilities around asbestos and Legionella exposure from cooling towers