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Safe cattle yards: Crushes

A safe cattle crush increases efficiency and reduces the risk of injury. Use this quick guide to check the safety of your cattle crush.

Assess the safety of your crush

 

Unsafe  

  • No crush.
  • Surface that is uneven or not solid.
  • No head bails.
  • Crush gates that are unable to be locked to contain the animal in the crush.
  • Contractors or visitors (such as vets) using crush without help from farm business.
  • No vet/management area.
  • No squeeze.
  • No safety system to ensure cattle do not enter vet/management area.
 

Basic safety  

  • Crush attached to yard and bolted to concrete pad.
  • Level surface that is non-slip, free of debris and easy to clean.
  • Head bails.
  • Locking mechanisms that are well maintained and secure when pressure is applied to an animal in the crush.
  • All contractors and visitors provided with an induction prior to using crush for the first time.
  • Secure vet/management area with horizontal split gates and no protrusions.
  • Squeeze system in place to keep animal secure.
  • A back gate behind the vet management area that is high, solid and secure to ensure that cattle from behind cannot enter into the vet/management area. Where such a gate does not exist, there should be no cattle in the race behind the vet/management area.
 

Best practice  

  • Walk through crush.
  • Soft custom flooring in the crush.
  • A chin bar that is attached to front of the head bail to restrict head movement.
  • Controls that allow the operator to adjust the head bail when it is under pressure.
  • Ensuring there is farm help available when contractors and visitors are using crush.
  • Extra vet gates with a horizontal split.
  • Double sided parallel squeeze in order to keep the animal secured and centred.
  • A crush designed in line with the guidelines specified by Cattle Vets.

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Improve the safety of your crush

Working in a cattle crush is one of the most dangerous tasks to be undertaken in cattle yards. It requires trained and experienced cattle handlers.

Choose the right crush for your farm

Ensure you are using the right crush for the cattle you are working with.

  • When purchasing a new crush be aware that not all crushes are the same. Some are drenching only crushes. They are not appropriate for activities such as hoof trimming or veterinary activities. Ensure that you choose a crush that is suitable for all situations that you are likely to need it for.
  • Light crushes for specific sized cattle may fail if you have heavier than recommend cattle in them. This can hurt both the animal and the operator.
  • In a single-side squeeze, the width of the crush is altered by moving one side panel of the crush—manually, hydraulically or pneumatically. This may push the animal off balance and the operator could be injured if the ratchet system intrudes into his or her space. Parallel and V squeezes provide greater animal holding power.

Create a safe vet/management area around your crush

A separate vet/management area that cattle cannot access makes using the crush easier and safer for everyone.

A safe vet/management area should have:

  • Side split gates for accessing different parts of the animal
  • Rear split gates
  • Protection to minimise the risk of operators being kicked
  • A roof for protection from the elements
  • Adequate lighting
  • No protrusions at head height and adequate head clearance.
  • No tripping hazards
  • No electrical hazards
  • A non-slip floor

Make sure everyone knows how to use the crush safely

Before anyone, including vets, use the crush make sure they know how to do so safely. Someone who is experienced with using the crush should explain how it operates and how to stay safe while using it.

Maintenance

  • Keep latches, locks, hinges and hydraulics well maintained.
  • Ensure that head and rear bails are properly adjusted and maintained.
  • Check that locking mechanisms will hold against the pressure of the cattle in the crush. Some 'slam shut mechanisms' can be installed incorrectly or are not strong enough to hold when pressure is applied by cattle.
  • Check that the gate pins are positive catching.
  • Consider the use of additional safety chains to reinforce gates if necessary.
  • Check there are no sharp edges.
  • Ensure the crushes stays secured to the ground.

Take care of yourself and others

  • Take regular breaks when using crushes. Repetitive movement can lead to injury and potentially extended time off for the worker.
  • Have a safety conversation before you start using the crush to ensure everyone knows how to work safely .

Assess which crush features you need

Front view of cattle crush highlighting location of head bails and squeeze mechanism. Text reading "Crushes should be secured to the ground. Such as bolts into a concrete pad and area around crush should be free of debris that might be a tripping hazard."
Side view of cattle crush highlighting location of squeeze mechanism, head bails, lower side split gates and gate to vet management area. Text with arrow pointing to latches reading "Ensure all latch pins are well secured into catches and are easy to slide." Text on bottom of image reads "Sides of crush should be placed next to a fenced cattle free zone."
View from above, highlighting the rear of the cattle crush. Cow in the crush squeeze with head bail in place. Vet management area gate open and person standing in vet management area facing the back of the cow. Arrows points to rear gate, split gate between cow and vet, vet management area, non-slip floor, squeeze mechanism and ratchet system. Text reads " Vet management area needs to be large enough to work in with space for equipment" "Rear gate to protect user from cattle in race behind the crush" "Non s
Activity Walk through crush Split slide gate Vet gate Solid back gate Chin bar Spey gate

Artificial breeding

Yes

Yes

Yes

Branding

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Bull soundness examinations

Yes

Yes

Yes

Castration

Yes

Yes

Checking dentition

Yes

Yes

Clinical examination of sick cows

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Dehorning

Yes

Yes

Calvings – surgical and non-surgical

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Ear implants

Yes

Yes

Ear tagging

Yes

Yes

Eye cancer diagnosis/treatment

Yes

Yes

Faecal sampling

Yes

Yes

Yes

Female reproductive tract examination

Yes

Yes

Yes

Height measurement

Yes

Yes

Yes

Hoof care – treatment and prevention

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

ID scan

Yes

Jugular or tail bleeding

Yes

Yes

Yes

Rumen implants

Yes

Yes

Spaying

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Treatment of sick cows

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Weighing

Yes

Drafting

Yes

Yes

* Based on common uses for crushes table in Crush design and Safety – Crushes the Good, Bad, and the Ugly , Australian Cattle Veterinarians 2009

Crush design recommendations

The Cattle Veterinarians Association of Australia recommends the following as minimum standards for crush design:

Your responsibilities under the law

As a farmer you may be self-employed, employ people, or manage and control a farm. Regardless, you have duties under the OHS Act. These can include ensuring, so far as is reasonably practicable:

  • you provide a farm that is a safe working environment without risks to the health of your employees and contractors
  • your farm activities don't expose persons other than employees, for example family, or visitors, to health and safety risks
  • that people, including people making deliveries on the farm, can enter and leave the farm safely, and without risk to their health
  • you consult with your employees and contractors about health and safety on your farm

More information and advice

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