Effect of milking stall dimensions on upper limb and shoulder muscle activity in milkers

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.