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Edwards JP, Kuhn-Sherlock B. Opportunities for improving the safety of dairy parlor workers. J Dairy Sci 2020; 104:419-430. [PMID: 33189265 DOI: 10.3168/jds.2020-18954] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2020] [Accepted: 09/03/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
One aspect of a successful dairy business is attracting and retaining skilled staff. The ability to do this is influenced by workplace attractiveness, one aspect of which is worker comfort and safety. Working with heavy machinery and animals makes dairy farming a dangerous occupation relative to many other sectors. Milking is the most time-consuming task on pasture-based dairy farms, and the parlor is the logical site of a number of injuries, although little is known about their causes or their relationship to parlor design and management. To investigate worker safety further, we conducted an on-farm survey on New Zealand dairy farms between December 2018 and March 2019. The survey had 3 objectives: to identify common causes of injuries relating to milking; to describe variations in milking parlor design and management practices on dairy farms; and to identify management and parlor factors that contribute to milking injuries. Analysis of accident compensation data from the state-run accident insurer for a 5-yr period from July 2013 to June 2018 was a fourth objective. Accident claims identified as related to milking through a key word search averaged NZ$252 (NZ$1 was equivalent to US$0.60 on May 19, 2020) per claim for non-severe injuries and NZ$9,334 per claim for severe injuries, for a total of NZ$1.95 million per year. A total of 136 injuries were reported on 99 of the 560 farms surveyed, and accident insurance claims were made for 53 of these injuries. The survey found that 48% of injuries occurred while workers were attaching clusters: typically soft-tissue and fracture injuries to fingers, hands, wrists, and arms. Injuries to these body parts represented the greatest cost (51% of the annual insurance cost) and identified safe cluster attachment as an area of focus for reducing milking injuries. Potential low-cost solutions include improved cluster design and a hand-arm guard. We identified a clear seasonal trend that coincided with busy periods in a seasonal block calving system, suggesting that options to reduce fatigue in spring may be beneficial; however, the number of hours worked or number of consecutive days worked were not associated with the number of milking injuries. Those aged 20-29 yr had more injuries relative to their proportion of the workforce, indicating that more training may be beneficial (e.g., setting ergonomic milking routines). Female workers were at greater risk of injury than males; this finding may have been related to the height of the animal relative to the height of the milker.
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Affiliation(s)
- J P Edwards
- DairyNZ Ltd., PO Box 85066, Lincoln University, Lincoln 7647, New Zealand.
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Cockburn M, Gómez Y, Schick M, Maffiuletti NA, Gygax L, Savary P, Umstätter C. Effect of milking stall dimensions on upper limb and shoulder muscle activity in milkers. J Dairy Sci 2019; 102:4563-4576. [PMID: 30904306 DOI: 10.3168/jds.2018-15316] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2018] [Accepted: 01/26/2019] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Increasing societal awareness for animal welfare can promote changes in legislation. Some of these changes may also affect the person that interacts with the animal in a shared workspace, such as in milking stalls. Swiss milking stalls were designed many years ago, when cows were smaller than they are today. A recent animal-based study indicated that welfare decreased in cows exposed to restricted space allowance in milking stalls, which had resulted from increasing body size without adjustment of milking stall dimensions. However, changing the milking stall dimensions without considering the milker may be detrimental. For many years, health issues, particularly of the upper limb and shoulders, have affected milking personnel. The current study investigated the effect of large and standard milking stall dimensions on muscle activity in milkers (as a measure of workload) during milking. This assessment is fundamental to ensure that legislation improving animal welfare does not jeopardize human health. The study took place in an experimental milking parlor that allowed for size adjustment of the individual milking stall. Nine milkers performed 2 shifts of milking in a herringbone and 2 shifts in a side-by-side milking parlor. The milking stall dimensions were large on one side and standard on the other side of the parlor; the 2 sides were switched between milking shifts. We used surface electromyography to monitor bilateral muscle activity of forearm (flexor carpi ulnaris), arm (biceps brachii), and shoulder (deltoideus anterior; upper trapezius) muscles. Statistical analysis was performed separately for the herringbone and the side-by-side parlor for each muscle using mean and maximum muscle activity as the target variables in a linear mixed-effects model. The analysis showed that the different milking stall dimensions did not consistently affect activity of the measured muscles. Our results suggest that milking stall dimensions are not a primary risk factor for poor ergonomics in parlor workers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marianne Cockburn
- Competitiveness and System Evaluation, Agroscope, Tänikon 1, 8356 Ettenhausen, Switzerland.
| | - Yamenah Gómez
- Competitiveness and System Evaluation, Agroscope, Tänikon 1, 8356 Ettenhausen, Switzerland; Ethology and Animal Welfare Unit, Department of Environmental System Sciences, ETH Zürich, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland; Centre for Proper Housing of Poultry and Rabbits (ZTHZ), Division of Animal Welfare Veterinary Public Health Institute, University of Bern, Burgerweg 22, 3052 Zollikofen, Switzerland
| | - Matthias Schick
- Competitiveness and System Evaluation, Agroscope, Tänikon 1, 8356 Ettenhausen, Switzerland; Division of Animal Husbandry & Dairy Production, Strickhof, Eschikon 21, 8315 Lindau, Switzerland
| | | | - Lorenz Gygax
- Albrecht Daniel Thaer Institute of Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences, Humboldt University Berlin, 10115 Berlin, Germany; Centre for Proper Housing of Ruminants and Pigs, Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office (FSVO), Agroscope, Institute of Livestock Sciences (ILS), Tänikon, 8356 Ettenhausen, Switzerland
| | - Pascal Savary
- Competitiveness and System Evaluation, Agroscope, Tänikon 1, 8356 Ettenhausen, Switzerland; Centre for Proper Housing of Ruminants and Pigs, Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office (FSVO), Agroscope, Institute of Livestock Sciences (ILS), Tänikon, 8356 Ettenhausen, Switzerland
| | - Christina Umstätter
- Competitiveness and System Evaluation, Agroscope, Tänikon 1, 8356 Ettenhausen, Switzerland
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Jakob MC, Liebers F. Comparison of 2 recommendations for adjusting the working height in milking parlors. J Dairy Sci 2017; 100:6620-6630. [DOI: 10.3168/jds.2016-12034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2016] [Accepted: 03/30/2017] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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Cockburn M, Schick M, Maffiuletti NA, Gygax L, Savary P, Umstätter C. Lower working heights decrease contraction intensity of shoulder muscles in a herringbone 30° milking parlor. J Dairy Sci 2017; 100:4914-4925. [DOI: 10.3168/jds.2016-11629] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2016] [Accepted: 01/30/2017] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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Douphrate DI, Nonnenmann MW, Hagevoort R, Gimeno Ruiz de Porras D. Work-Related Musculoskeletal Symptoms and Job Factors Among Large-Herd Dairy Milkers. J Agromedicine 2017; 21:224-33. [PMID: 27092590 DOI: 10.1080/1059924x.2016.1179612] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Dairy production in the United States is moving towards large-herd milking operations, resulting in an increase in task specialization and work demands. The objective of this project was to provide preliminary evidence of the association of a number of specific job conditions that commonly characterize large-herd parlor milking operations with work-related musculoskeletal symptoms (MSS). A modified version of the Standardized Nordic Questionnaire was administered to assess MSS prevalence among 450 US large-herd parlor workers. Worker demographics and MSS prevalences were generated. Prevalence ratios were also generated to determine associations of a number of specific job conditions that commonly characterize large-herd parlor milking operations with work-related MSS. Work-related MSS are prevalent among large-herd parlor workers, since nearly 80% report 12-month prevalences of one or more symptoms, which are primarily located in the upper extremities, specifically shoulders and wrist/hand. Specific large-herd milking parlor job conditions are associated with MSS in multiple body regions, including performing the same task repeatedly, insufficient rest breaks, working when injured, static postures, adverse environmental conditions, and reaching overhead. These findings support the need for administrative and engineering solutions aimed at reducing exposure to job risk factors for work-related MSS among large-herd parlor workers.
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Affiliation(s)
- David I Douphrate
- a Department of Epidemiology, Human Genetics and Environmental Sciences, School of Public Health, San Antonio Campus , The University of Texas Health and Science Center at Houston , San Antonio , Texas , USA
| | - Matthew W Nonnenmann
- b Department of Occupational and Environmental Health , University of Iowa , Iowa City , Iowa , USA
| | - Robert Hagevoort
- c Department of Extension Animal Science and Natural Resources , New Mexico State University Agricultural Science Center at Clovis , Clovis , New Mexico , USA
| | - David Gimeno Ruiz de Porras
- a Department of Epidemiology, Human Genetics and Environmental Sciences, School of Public Health, San Antonio Campus , The University of Texas Health and Science Center at Houston , San Antonio , Texas , USA
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Gómez Y, Terranova M, Zähner M, Hillmann E, Savary P. Effects of milking stall dimensions on behavior of dairy cows during milking in different milking parlor types. J Dairy Sci 2017; 100:1331-1339. [DOI: 10.3168/jds.2016-11589] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2016] [Accepted: 10/27/2016] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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