Aaron Yoder, Ph.D., recently presented a National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) Young Cooperator Webinar titled, ‘What’s New? Tools and Resources for Managing Safety and Health Risks on Dairy Farms.’
According to Yoder, many types of technology can help identify and warn us of ergonomic hazards in agriculture, including our phones and wearable devices that can monitor the environment and worker’s wellbeing.
Yoder is currently the Associate Professor in the Department of Environmental, Agricultural and Occupational Health at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. He also is on the board of directors for the agricultural safety and health council of America where he leads the ag sharp certificate program.
Noise is a Big Thing
Most people don’t realize how much noise they’re being exposed to. According to Yoder, unlike many other parts of our bodies, once we damage our ears, they don’t heal themselves.
“A lot of times our bones and our flesh will heal itself after injuries,” he shares. “However, people don’t realize how much they’ve been exposed to noise.”
Wireless headphones or earbuds can help filter out some of the excess noise.
“One of the major complaints with hearing protection is that we can’t hear what’s going on around us,” Yoder says.
Having ear protection is vital. Earbuds that are OHSA compliant serve a purpose. Having the technology built into the hearing protection allows us to do a little bit more and allows us to measure the sounds that we’re being exposed to.
Yoder recommends searching for a noise meter on your phone’s app store to help collect noise samples from around your farm.
“If it’s over 85 decibels for more than an eight-hour shift, you’re going to need some sort of protection,” Yoder says. “If it’s over a higher level at a shorter period of time, you’re going to need some protection, too.”
You can purchase noise sound level meters online or at any box store that ranges from $20 to $100.
Yoder shares the best earbuds have a good noise reduction rating and you can still listen to music and take phone calls wearing them. They are also OHSA regulations compliant.
Communication is key when conducting business and running a dairy farm is no exception. Yoder says that you can still hear what’s going on around you when wearing noise reduction headphones.
Heat Illness App
Weather apps take data from the closest airport or the closest weather station, which might be a lot different than what you’re actually being exposed to. Yoder says that temperatures can vary greatly on a farm – from being in a grain bin to confinement facilities and then out in the fields.
The heat illness is similar to a cow sensor, like collars or eartags, as they can sense when an animal is heat stressed. For humans, the heat illness app reminds us to take a break if we have been exposed to a certain amount of heat for a certain period of time.
“Anytime you get up over 90 degrees, even with some pretty low humidity, you can start having some heat-related issues whether it be a heat stroke or heat illness like getting dizzy and needing to cool off,” he says.
Insurance Companies Discounts
“Worker comp insurance companies are very interested in reducing the number of injuries that are happening on different types of agricultural operations,” Yoder says.
The first step to begin with when looking to develop or expand on safety on a farm is to develop a policy. OSHA and land grant universities have a lot of information in the farm business management areas.
“It can be as simple as saying we want to improve the safety of our workers,” Yoder says.
While it’s tough to get insurance companies to offer incentives associated with implementing any of the technologies, Yoder reminds us that insurance will get cheaper if you have fewer injuries.
“I would talk to your insurance provider and say you want to start doing more for safety and ask, ‘What resource do you have?’” he says. “Sometimes they’ll give you a discount just because they know you’re being proactive in the safety area.”
