Ergonomics in industrialized dairy operations

This paper presents a summary of a panel presentation by agriculture health and safety scientists on ergonomics of industrialized dairy parlor operations in the United States. Dairy industry trends in the United States were discussed in the panel presentation, which took place during the New Paths: Health and Safety in Western Agriculture conference, November 11-13, 2008. Dairy production is steadily moving to large-herd operations because of associated economies of scale and other economic and social conditions. Large-herd operations utilize a parlor milking system, as compared to a stanchion system used primarily in smaller operations. Each milking system presents different risks for worker injury. Low back, knee, and shoulder musculoskeletal symptoms were most frequently reported among workers in smaller dairy operations. Another study analyzing workers' compensation (WC) data from large-herd milking operations found nearly 50% of livestock-handling injury claims involved parlor milking activities. Nearly 27% of injuries were to the wrist, hand, and fingers, nearly 13% to the head or face, and 11% to the chest. Results indicated the vulnerability of these body parts to injury due to the worker-livestock interface during milking. More focused research should investigate milking practices and parlor designs as they relate to worker safety and health. Additional dairy-related injury research is vital given the trend towards large industrial milking operations.