During National Farm Safety Week (July 20-26), WorkSafe Victoria has called on farmers to check their ramps and review their loading practices.
WorkSafe says that cattle handling remains one of the most dangerous jobs on a farm, as workers are often in close quarters with large, heavy animals that can kick, crush or trample with little warning – especially loading and unloading, when animals can become stressed and unpredictable.
There have been four workplace fatalities and over 240 people have been seriously injured while working with livestock since 2021.
WorkSafe Executive Director Health and Safety Sam Jenkin said it is critical that farmers paused and assessed the safety of their ramps and loading practices.
“Some red flags to look out for include ramps that are not secured, non-adjustable ramps, ramps with no safety gate at the top, and ramps that don’t separate people and livestock,” Jenkin said.
“Even if your ramps don’t meet current safety standards, this doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve got to spend a lot of money on brand new ones.
“There are cheaper ways to add safety features like catwalks or non-slip surfaces to existing ramps,” he continued.
“The most important thing is to start with your safety assessment because when it comes to farm safety – you never know how many second chances you’ll get.”
WorkSafe says that farmers who opt for new ramps should check with the manufacturer to determine if they meet Australian Standards.
Safe loading practices include ensuring someone familiar with the cattle is in control, never loading cattle alone, having secure and well-maintained gates, and ensuring everyone working in the yards is trained and experienced.
Cattle farmers Taylor and Paul are based in Ballangeich in western Victorian.
“We’re almost like a family with our workers. So making safety improvements to our cattle yards has felt like a big weight off our shoulders.,” said Taylor.
“I certainly wouldn’t want to walk around knowing that one of my workers was badly injured or passed away because of a safety failure – I’m not sure I could live with that.
“But it’s not just a safety thing – livestock production and efficiency are definitely improving as well thanks to the upgrades.”
WorkSafe has created a short animation showing what safe loading looks like; produced a new flowchart to help farmers determine if their ramp is safe, along with updates to existing guidance; and videos about safe loading ramps.
“We know improving safety in cattle yards is a journey and you can’t change everything overnight,” Jenkin said.
“That’s why our guidance sets out basic safety expectations and then best practice, which is where we’re encouraging farmers to head in the long term. It’s about knowing where you’re at and what to work toward.”