The global dairy industry is composed of a multitude of countries with unique production practices and consumer markets. The global average number of cows per farm is about 1-2 cows; however, as a farm business model transitions from sustenance to market production, the average herd size, and subsequent labor force increases. Dairy production is unique as an agricultural commodity because milk is produced daily, for 365 days per year. With the introduction of new technology such as the milking parlor, the global industry trend is one of increasing farm sizes. The farm sizes are the largest in the United States; however, the European Union produces the most milk compared with other global producers. Dairy production is essential for economic development and sustainable communities in rural areas. However, the required capital investment and availability of local markets and labor are continued challenges. Due to farm expansion, international producers are faced with new challenges related to assuring food safety and a safe working environment for their workforce. These challenges exist in addition to the cultural and language barriers related to an increasing dependence on immigrant labor in many regions of the world. Continued success of the global dairy industry is vital. Therefore, research should continue to address the identification of occupational risk factors associated with injuries and illnesses, as well as develop cost-effective interventions and practices that lead to the minimization or elimination of these injuries and illnesses on a global scale, among our valuable population of dairy producers and workers.
Agriculture is among the most hazardous sectors for workers globally, and dairy farming has been associated with a high risk of injury among workers in several countries. The purpose of this paper is to provide an update on what is known about modern dairy farms and related injuries and fatalities in different regions of the world. As in other sectors of agriculture, fatalities appear to be associated with heavy equipment usage, whereas injuries occur at higher rates with animal production, specifically cattle and milk production. Dairy farming is associated with higher rates of injury as compared with other industrial sectors, but a lack of work-related injury reporting continues to be an issue in several countries. Worker fatality associated with heavy equipment use is not a new observation (e.g., tractors); however, manure-handling systems, livestock handling, and quad bike operation continue to be associated with worker injuries and fatalities on modern farms. Opportunities exist for improvement of safety-related equipment to reduce injury and fatality risk during worker interactions with large animals and farm equipment.
Dairy farming is an ancient occupation. Traditionally, cows have been manually milked while tethered in stalls or stanchions. In the latter half of the 20th century as machine milking emerged, the parlor milking system has become more popular, especially among larger dairy farms. The transition from manual milking to automatic milking systems as well as the transition from stanchion to parlor milking systems involved a dramatic change in milking tasks. These transitions have resulted in changing patterns of occupational exposure to risk factors for work-related musculoskeletal disorders among dairy workers. However, aspects of the milking task such as sanitization of teats, stripping milk from teats, and attachment and detachment of milking equipment have remained relatively the same. Work-related musculoskeletal symptoms have been reported in the low back, shoulders, hands/wrists, and knees. Research that has measured exposures to risk factors for work-related musculoskeletal disorders among dairy farm workers has been limited, especially when using ergonomic tools to directly measure exposure, such as electrogoniometry or electromyography. Self-reported exposure measures have been most commonly used. The interventions that have been tested to reduce exposure to risk factors for work-related musculoskeletal disorders include assisted lift-hold devices, use of lighter-weight equipment, adjustable flooring, and use of rubber mats. However, research evaluating potential solutions to reduce dairy farm worker exposure to risk factors for musculoskeletal disorders is scarce. Future research efforts should further characterize hazards while simultaneously testing viable solutions that fit within the business model of the dairy farm industry.
Previous European studies [3,4,10,13] have shown a high prevalence of musculoskeletal discomfort (MSD) among milking parlor operatives, affecting at least 70% of the staff. The aim of the project was to find correlations between workplace design and prevalence of MSD. For this a data collection was carried out questioning the parlor operatives using a modified Nordic Questionnaire [6]. On farm parlor specifics and bovimetrics of milked cows of a randomly-selected shift were measured. After that data was combined to compare the workplace design and the occurrence of MSD. The results showed that 94% of the female and 71% of the male workers suffered from MSD. The work place analysis revealed that women regularly worked above shoulder level and had to tort and bend more often than men because of the gender specific anthropometrics and the workplace design. The survey took into consideration that not only milking is considered strenuous but other farm tasks as well. The results also demonstrated that there is a need to take action to improve modern milking parlors. The existing helping devices are not sufficient to reduce the workload; reorganizing the work tasks, work schedule and the work place design is suggested.
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