A recent National Safety Council study ranks beef cattle farms and dairy operations as second and third most dangerous industries among all agriculture enterprises with the most injuries per hour of work. Animals are involved in 17 percent of these industries, the equivalent of injuries caused by farm machinery.

Where production and handling of animals is a day-to-day occurrence, safety must be an ongoing consideration and primary concern. Taking simple precautions may take a few extra seconds, but removing or reducing hazards can save time, pain and suffering, property, resources and lives.

It’s important to work with animals and their characteristics. Animals’ senses function much like those of humans; however, animals may detect and perceive their surroundings very differently compared to humans. The Farm Forum features different factors for handling animals from a study provided by Michigan State University Agricultural Engineering Department.