While all farm types have hazards, dairy farms have added hazards to which workers are exposed every day – livestock, machinery, wet surfaces, hazardous cleaning chemicals, confined spaces, and more. These all add up to the reason the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) have begun taking a closer look at dairy farms. While most industries are accustomed to OSHA rules and audits, it is rather new and unfamiliar to agriculture. University of Minnesota Extension in cooperation with the Center for Dairy Farm Safety (University of Wisconsin – River Falls) is offering a series of two-day short courses around Minnesota.

The purpose of these courses is to help dairy farmers more fully understand and identify the hazards that exist around their farms, and develop plans to make their farms a safer place to live and work. A final benefit is to help farms meet OSHA standards should they be audited.

The two-day short courses will address the following topics:

  • Introduction to OSHA
  • Injury Trends
  • Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment
  • Hazard Communications
  • Tractors and Farm Machinery
  • Hazards with Animal Handling
  • Hazards in Farm Structures
  • Personal Protective Equipment

These topics are common and may not look challenging, but audits can look at things seldom considered in the day-to-day workings on the farm.

During the course, farmers will be developing outlines appropriate for a safety plan to implement on their own farms. Tools will be offered to comply with OSHA standards and more importantly, make the farm safer.

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Short courses will be offered at the following locations and dates:

January 10 and 17
St Charles Community Center, 830 Whitewater Ave, St Charles, MN

February 12 and 19
Midtown Center, 3333 W Division St, St Cloud, MN

February 13 and 20
Government Services Bldg., 520 West Fir Ave, Fergus Falls, MN

February 14 and 21
Fosston, MN (Specific site to be determined)

March 12 and 13
Pipestone County EMS Bldg., 811 5th St SE, Pipestone, MN

All the course locations take both days for completion. Courses start at 10 a.m. and conclude by 4 p.m. Lunch is included in the registration.

The cost is $15 per person for both days. Click here to register or call (715) 425-3240.

This is a jointly sponsored program of University of Minnesota Extension, the Center for Dairy Farm Safety, the North Central Risk Management Education Center and a Susan Harwood Training grant. PD

—From University of Minnesota Extension news release