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

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.

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.

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.

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:

Races

Length minimum, 6m, allows 2 cows to stand comfortably in it.
Dimensions of races

700mm wide for adult cattle. Not wider due to animals hurting themselves when they enter the crush , banging hips etc, cows pushing past each other in wide race and turning around.
Race design and race entrance design

Straight one side leading into race, not angled from both sides, 45-60 degrees entry angle from other side. Gate at back of race to prevent animals backing out, preferably sliding.
All Crushes should have a vet area with a split vet gate and a solid backing gate. The Vet area should be at least 700-750mm long.
Kick Gates

Kick gate height must be measured in relation to the floor on which animals stand in the crush. Ideal height should be: Average "hip" height of mature cows * 0.57; eg, if cows are 1400 mm (typical Brahmans aged 5+ years), then the gate should be 800 mm. The bottom of the kick gate should not be between 20 and 200 mm above the floor cleats to prevent feet getting caught under the gate. Height of crush, 1.9m from the floor of the crush (not the surrounding area).
Length of crush section between head bail and kick gate, 2.5m
Back Gate

Back gate must be solid (so that horns and feet cannot penetrate it), secure, and 1.9m high from the floor of the race behind the gate.
Floor

Floor must be solid and non-slip
Width

Crush width 700mm inside. Adjustable width (400-700mm) highly recommended.
Side Gates

Split gates either side highly recommended. Rump bar on both upper and lower gates highly recommended. A lower side gate height of not more than 40% of the "hip" height of cattle regularly examined; eg, ~600 mm for mature Brahman cows with 1400 mm "hip" height. Upper side gate should not open to leave less than 70% of the hip height of cattle being examined. Side gates may be split, ie have a front and back end. And gates may be set within side gates for access to animals either forward or back. Side gate must close to within 20 mm of the floor or a lip of at least 40 mm must be provided to prevent animal's feet slipping laterally off the floor.
Fabrication

Licensed fabricators should always be used. It is imperative that welds are safe.
Surrounds

Crushes should have roofs or other protection from UV and weather. Surrounding areas should be free from tripping/slipping hazards; electrically safe; hygienic (access to water).
Maintenance

Crushes should be well maintained, and all hinges and latches inspected and/ or tested before every use.

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

Safe cattle yards: Crushes

Assess the safety of your crush

Unsafe

Basic safety

Best practice