Machinery and Equipment Use


Feeding: Feeding tasks are accomplished using a wide variety of stationary and self-propelled machines. They can range in size from a small feed cart up to a payloader weighing several tons. Machines which assist workers in feeding chores can be as simple as transfer elevators and augers, or as complicated as computerized feed mixers. Silage stored in pits, called Bunk Silos, can have silage “walls” over twenty feet high. These walls can collapse crushing working under tons of feed.

Waste disposal: A wide variety of specialized equipment removes manure from barns for storage and transportation to fields as fertilizer. Common pieces of equipment include; skidsteer loaders, tractors, barn cleaners, manure pumps and spreaders. During the storage phase, manure generates deadly gases which must be properly ventilated.

Types of injuries: Common injuries include crushing and shearing from being between moving parts. Another type of injury is hydraulic fluid penetration; high pressure oil from a leaky line penetrates the skin. Entanglement is also a common cause of injury; rotating parts grab skin, hair or clothing and pull the worker into the machine.