Human-animal interactions and safety during dairy cattle handling--Comparing moving cows to milking and hoof trimming.

Cattle handling is a dangerous activity on dairy farms, and cows are a major cause of injuries to livestock handlers. Even if dairy cows are generally tranquil and docile, when situations occur that they perceive or remember as aversive, they may become agitated and hazardous to handle. This study aimed to compare human-animal interactions, cow behavior, and handler safety when moving cows to daily milking and moving cows to more rarely occurring and possibly aversive hoof trimming. These processes were observed on 12 Swedish commercial dairy farms. The study included behavioral observations of handler and cows and cow heart rate recordings, as well as recording frequencies of situations and incidents related to an increased injury risk to the handler. At milking, cows were quite easily moved using few interactions. As expected, the cows showed no behavioral signs of stress, fear, or resistance and their heart rate only rose slightly from the baseline (i.e., the average heart rate during an undisturbed period before handling). Moving cows to hoof trimming involved more forceful and gentle interactions compared with moving cows to milking. Furthermore, the cows showed much higher frequencies of behaviors indicative of aversion and fear (e.g., freezing, balking, and resistance), as well as a higher increase in heart rate. The risk of injury to which handlers were exposed also increased when moving cows to hoof trimming rather than to routine milking. Some interactions (such as forceful tactile interactions with an object and pulling a neck strap or halter) appeared to be related to potentially dangerous incidents where the handler was being kicked, head-butted, or run over by a cow. In conclusion, moving cows to hoof trimming resulted in higher frequencies of behaviors indicating fear, more forceful interactions, and increased injury risks to the handler than moving cows to milking. Improving potentially stressful handling procedures (e.g., by better animal handling practices and preparation of cows to cope with such procedures) can increase handler safety, animal welfare, ease of handling, and efficiency.

Physical working conditions in young cattle production in Sweden.

This study investigated physical work environment conditions and sought to identify risk factors in terms of main potential hazards, exposure to physical strain, and the 12-month prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) through two postal surveys of Swedish farmers rearing red veal calves (8 to 11 months slaughter age) during April-June 2008 and young bulls (12 to 24 months slaughter age) during March-May 2009. Among 155 red veal producers, the response rate was 45% (n = 59), while among 241 young bull producers finishing 100 or more bulls per year the response rate was 42% (n = 101). A questionnaire was used to obtain general facts about the farm, work time, and frequency of predefined daily and non-daily work tasks. Perceived physical exertion in relation to each work task was assessed by the farmers using the Borg CR-10 scale and further analyzed according to duration and repetitiveness in a physical work strain (PWS) index. The average physical work strain during the predefined work tasks in red veal and young bull finishing was estimated at 3 (moderate strain) on the CR-10 scale. Up to 42% of the surveyed farmers experienced stress and worry about beef production and high levels of potential hazards. High daily work pace and an uncomfortable work climate were other problematic factors. Highly repetitive tasks and physically demanding animal handling were risk factors that increased PWS significantly The 12-month prevalence of MSD was 51% among red veal producers and 65% among young bull producers. Work-related injuries were reported by 20% and 39% of respondents on red veal and young bull farms, respectively, of which 96% and 89% of the cases were related to working with animals.

Working with horses: an OWAS work task analysis.

Most work in horse stables is performed manually in much the same way as a century ago. It is the least mechanized sector dealing with large animals. People working with horses are exposed to several types of risk for developing musculoskeletal problems, but the work tasks and workload have not been investigated in detail. The aim of this study was to estimate the postural load of the work tasks performed around horses to find those that were harmful and required measures to be taken to reduce physical strain. Altogether, 20 subjects (stable attendants and riding instructors) were video recorded while carrying out their work in the stable, and preparing and conducting riding lessons. The work was analyzed with the Ovako Working posture Analysis System (OWAS) to determine the postural load and to categorize the potential harmfulness of the work postures. Three work tasks involved about 50% of the work positions in the three OWAS categories (AC2 to AC4) where measures for improvement are needed: "mucking out" (50%), "bedding preparation" (48%), and "sweeping" (48%). These work tasks involved over 60% work postures where the back was bent, twisted, or both bent and twisted. Therefore, it is important to find preventive measures to reduce the workload, which could include improved tools, equipment, and work technique.

Occupational injuries to senior farmers in Sweden.

The prevailing demographic change in the western world means that the workforce is becoming older. Farmers in particular often work beyond the normal retirement age, in a challenging physical environment. For example, the agricultural sector has the most hazardous work environment in Sweden. Therefore, it is interesting to examine the following questions: Are senior farmers more frequently involved in work-related injuries? Do some injuries happen more often in the oldest age group? Which part of the body is most frequently affected in different age groups? What can be done to decrease the risk of injury in senior farmers?

Riding instructors, their musculoskeletal health and working conditions.

UNLABELLED: The aim of this study was to gain a deeper understanding of riding instructors' working conditions, work load, and frequency of musculoskeletal problems and to identify potential risk factors for the development of musculoskeletal problems. A questionnaire was mailed to 800 instructors in Sweden containing questions on their work environment, work tasks, work load, and musculoskeletal symptoms. The Borg CR-10 scale was used to estimate the work load, and the Standardized Nordic Questionnaire was used to analyze the occurrence of musculoskeletal symptoms. Perceived symptoms were most frequently reported to be in the shoulders (60%), lower back (56%), and neck (52%) during the past 12 months; 91% of the riding instructors had experienced symptoms from at least one of nine anatomical areas during the past 12 months and 55% in the seven days prior to answering the questionnaire. Removal of manure from the stable was considered to be the task involving the heaviest work, and 14.5% had suffered an injury at work during the past year. The risk of developing musculoskeletal problems was 50% less for those who did physical exercise at least two hours a week besides riding (OR = 0.47, CI 0.25-0.89). CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of symptoms was high, considering the low median age (33 years). Reducing workload, guarding against injury, and performing other exercises besides riding could be important measures for the prevention of musculoskeletal symptoms in this particular group of workers.

Slow-moving vehicles in Swedish traffic.

The objective of this study was to reach a better understanding of accidents on Swedish roads involving slow-moving vehicles and to suggest ways of preventing such accidents. We analyzed accident data from a 5-year period (1992-1996) involving all types of farm vehicles as well as horses and horse-drawn vehicles. During each year of the period under investigation, slow-moving vehicles were involved in more than 250 traffic accidents on Swedish roads, and an average of 10 people were killed, 66 sustained serious injuries, and 192 sustained slight injuries. This was about 1.3% of all persons injured in traffic accidents in Sweden. The deaths and injuries mostly involved car drivers and passengers. Tractor drivers and unprotected road users (people walking or traveling by motorcycle, moped, or bicycle) also sustained serious injuries and deaths. Vehicles overtaking slow-moving vehicles from behind were the most common type of accident (30%), followed by turning accidents (27%), accidents at crossroads (26%), and with oncoming vehicles (17%). To strengthen the suggestions for improvement, a questionnaire was sent out to driving school teachers in Sweden. Subjects were asked about their experiences with farm vehicles on the roads and their suggestions for ways to increase traffic safety. Based on the accident data and the questionnaire responses, we developed several suggestions for reducing road accidents, including measures for making farm vehicles more visible, improvement of the training provided at driving schools, and information campaigns directed at drivers of farm vehicles and other road users. Further in-depth research is needed to analyze road accidents involving slow-moving vehicles and to test different intervention measures.

Marker-less systems for tracking working postures--results from two experiments.

Two experiments are performed to examine the usability of different marker-less approaches in image analysis and computer vision for automatic registration of OWAS (Ovako working posture analysing system) postures from video film. In experiment 1, a parametric method based on image analysis routines is developed both for separating the subject from its background and for relating the shapes of the extracted subject to OWAS postures. All 12 analysed images were correctly classified by the method. In experiment 2 a computer neural network is taught to relate postures of a subject to OWAS postures. When the network was trained with 53 images the rest of the set of 138 images was correctly classified. The experiments described in this paper show promising results regarding the use of image analysis and computer vision for tracking and assessing working postures. However, further research is needed including tests of different human models, neural networks, and template matching for making the OWAS method more useful in identifying and evaluating potentially harmful working postures.

Physical workload on upper extremities in various operations during machine milking.

The aim of the study was to quantify the workload on the upper extremity for fundamental work tasks during machine milking. Eleven milkers working in a loose-housing system with a milking parlour participated in the study. Muscle activity for the biceps and the forearm flexors, as well as positions and movements of the wrists were simultaneously measured by electromyography and electrogoniometry while video-recording the work. The milking work was broken up in three main tasks "Drying (the cow's udder)", "Pre-milking (the first milk)" and "Attaching (the milking unit to the udder)" and three supplementary tasks. All three main tasks show high muscle load values and almost no time for rest. The highest load values for the biceps and flexor muscles were found during the tasks "Attaching, holding the milking unit" and "Drying", respectively. For 10% of the recording time, the milkers held active hands in 42 degrees dorsal flexion during the milking tasks "Pre-milking" and "Attaching" and in deviated positions exceeding 50% of their maximum values during "Attaching" and "Drying". The high muscle loads in combination with extreme positions and movements of the hand and forearm might contribute to the development of injuries among milkers. The result from the study aims to form a basis for technical improvements of the milking equipment to decrease the risk for arm wrist and hand disorders.

The Natural Course of Musculoskeletal Symptoms and Clinical Findings in Upper Extremities of Female Milkers.

To explore milkers' state of health with regard to symptoms in the wrists and hands, a study of 80 female milkers was carried out 12 months after a Nordic questionnaire study of these subjects. Of these 80, 41 had reported pain and discomfort in the wrists and hands at the time of the questionnaire study, whereas the remaining 39 had had no such symptoms. To determine the sensitivity and specificity of the Nordic questionnaire, the follow-up study included examination by an unbiased clinician. The occurrence of symptoms in the wrists and hands during the preceding 12 months was found to have been rather stable-30 of the 41 milkers still reported pain, aching, and discomfort, and eight new cases were recorded. On clinical examination, symptoms including numbness, tingling, and coldness in the forearms and hands were reported by 51 of the 80 milkers, 14 of whom had clinical symptoms and signs indicating median nerve entrapment. Peritendinitis was diagnosed in four subjects and a ganglion cyst in one. The findings in the remaining group did not meet diagnostic criteria. All subjects with wrist and hand symptoms were still at work a year after the initial study. The sensitivity of the Nordic questionnaire when it came to identifying subjects with clinical findings was found to be unsatisfactory. The actual incidence of wrist and hand disorders may be underestimated if the Nordic questionnaire is used as the only instrument in epidemiologic screenings.