Manual Handling and safety

Workers’ compensation data for dairy farming shows 1 in 5 claims involving more than 5 days off work are due to body stresses that result in musculoskeletal disorders.

These serious injuries cause suffering for the people involved, economic losses for the farm and increased workers’ compensation premiums and a poor employment reputation for the industry.

Workers on dairy farms do a wide variety of manual tasks that involve lifting, lowering, pushing, pulling, carrying, holding or restraining things or animals.

These tasks have the potential to be hazardous if, for example, they involve postures that are awkward or sustained, forces that are high, sudden or repeated, movements that are repetitive, or exposure to vibration.

Musculoskeletal disorders resulting from hazardous tasks include back injuries, sprains and strains, joint and bone injuries or degeneration, nerve injuries or compression, hernias and chronic pain.