✓ PROTECT yourself ✓ PROTECT your cows ✓PROTECT your family

GERMS MOVE BOTH WAYS!

Bacteria can transfer from humans to cows or from cows to humans. Some bacteria may be helpful, some may be harmful. Germs can move from a cow to a worker in a number of ways:

• Touching a cow,
• Eating or dirnking contaminated food
• Touching mouth, eyes, or nose with contaminated hands
• You can bring in germs from ourside the farm that may make cows sick.
• You can take germs home from work that can make your family sick.

KEEP YOUR FAMILY HEALTHY

• Wash hands and clean boots before going home.
• Launder work clothes at work, when possible, or keep work and other clothing separated in the home wash.
• Pay extra attention to hygiene if young children or elderly persons live in your home, or if you or anyone in your house is sick.

WHEN TO WASH HANDS

• At the start and end of your work day.
• Before and after eating,
• After removing gloves,
• After herd health activities or working with manure,
• Wash hands with soap and water for 20 seconds, dry with clean towel.

STAY SAFE AT WORK

• Wear work-specific clothing and footwear.
• Eat your meals in an area away from cattle and their housing.
• Avoid touching your mouth, eyes, or food with contaminated hands.
• Take extra precautions when doing high-risk activities, including herd health care and treating sick animals.
• Take extra precaution when you are ill and, when possible, limit close contact with coworkers and cattle.

BE ALERT FOR SIGNS OF ILLNESS

In yourself: Look for symptoms like fever, skin infection, rash (including redness or swelling), diarrhea, vomiting, and/or respiratory illness.

In cows: Look for signs like poor appetite, coughing, difficulty breathing, unusual discharge, bloat, weakness, lameness, and/or diarrhea.

SIGNS OF ILLNESS

Stay home when sick and tell your doctor you work with cows. Pay extra attention to hand washing and hygiene when returning to the farm after:

• Spending any time in a hospital,
• Contact with animals on other farms,
• Contact with pets or wildlife.

Farm owners can reduce hazards, establish safety procedures, supply hand washing stations and laundering facilities. Workers can follow safety policies and procedures and wear protective equipment. Watch and learn cattle behavior and signs of sickness. Practice good hygiene and report illnesses.

Questions? CONTACT US

Center for One Health Research
deohs.washington.edu/cohr/
(206) 685-2654
Peter Rabinowitz, peterr7@uw.edu
Gemina Garland-Lewis, gemina@uw.edu

PACIFIC NORTHWEST AGRICULTURAL SAFETY AND HEALTH (PNASH) CENTER
Centro agrícola de seguridad y salud del pacífico noroeste
http://depts.washington.edu/pnash/
(800) 330-0827
pnash@uw.edu
facebook.com/PNASHcenter

Funded by the Pacific Northwest Agricultural Safety and Health Center,
CDC/NIOSH Award #5 U54OH007544
Ilustraciones de Stacey Holland
Fotografías de Gemina Garland-Lewis
Este folleto fue desarrollado y validado con lecheros en el estado de Washington.

Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences

May 2016

Publication #: May 2016