Protective Clothing in Livestock Facilities

Objective:

To wear the necessary Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) when working with livestock.

Trainer's Note:

Wearing the correct PPE and using the correct equipment while working with livestock can protect a worker from injury. To reduce exposure to disease, clean contaminated sites and use PPE. During the session, show examples of the proper PPE to wear during various tasks involving livestock.

Background

Follow safety precautions. PPE (safety glasses, gloves, long trousers, steel-toed shoes or boots, shin guards and a hard hat) should be a part of the employee's work clothing. The correct PPE prevents accidents and increases worker and livestock safety. Loose, ripped or baggy clothing can catch on livestock or machinery. Jewelry should be kept to a minimum. It can get caught in machinery, and metal is also an excellent conductor of electricity. Pull back long hair so it doesn't interfere with work or get caught in machinery.

When working in buildings with low ceilings, repairing machinery, or running off-road vehicles, head protection is needed. There are different types of hats to provide different types of protection. (Refer to the module, Protecting the Head.)

Steel-toed or hard toed shoes help prevent foot injuries that commonly occur when working with animals and machinery. Make sure footwear is in good working condition by inspecting it regularly. Check to be sure that shoe laces are not fraying and cannot be caught in equipment. When shoes wear out they can become hazardous, get rid of them.

Moving, handling, and feeding animals creates dust problems. Inadequate or improper ventilation in confinement compounds this problem. Dust masks are good defensives against inhaling the dust in the air.

Use rubber gloves and splash goggles when mixing and spraying pesticides or insecticides. Breathing insecticide fumes can be hazardous, so use a respirator. (Refer to the module, Protecting Against Pesticide Exposure.) Wear protective clothing to reduce absorption through the skin. Rubber, rubberized fabrics, neoprene, and plastics are clothing items that give protection against absorption into the skin.

Eyes and open wounds allow some livestock diseases to be introduced into humans. Use eye protection and gloves when working with a sick animal or giving a shot. Wear gloves that match the job and fit properly. Tight gloves limit movement, and gloves that are to big can interfere with work. (Refer to the module, Protecting Your Hands.)



Review the Following Points

• Always wear the correct protective clothing for the job.
• Wear hard or steel-toed work boots/shoes at all times.
• Wash all chemicals or vaccines off of your skin immediately.
• Use a face respirator when hazardous fumes are a concern.

Protective Clothing in Livestock Facilities Quiz

True or False

1. Wear hard or steel-toed work boots/shoes at all times.	T	F
2. Contact with vaccines, sprays, or chemicals is harmless and can be ignored.	T	F
3. Hazardous fumes require the use of a face respirator.	T	F
4. Loose and baggy clothing may cause the employee to become entangled with livestock or machinery.	T	F
5. Wear rubber gloves and splash goggles when mixing sprays used for livestock.	T	F

Answer Key
1. T, 2. F, 3. T, 4. T, 5. T

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