1. Maintain Proper Workplace Safety Good Production Practice #8
Assuring Quality Care for Animals
Food Animal Quality Assurance
go.osu.edu/AQCA

2. Maintain Proper Workplace Safety
Safety is everyone’s responsibility including exhibitors, family members, friends, and so on.
If any one person does not take a personal responsibility for working in and maintaining a safe work area, that person puts himself/herself and others at risk.

3. Safety is Everyone’s Responsibility
Youth owners and caretakers are responsible for
all aspects of safety including:
Assigning responsibility
Conducting safety assessments
Defining hazard risks for all activities
Sourcing and allocating resources to ensure safety in all operational activities
Measuring progress and evaluating performance of safety and environmental management.
Reviewing all program components and making adjustments

4. Controlling Hazards Eliminating the hazard from the method,
Eliminating the hazard from the method,
material, facility or machine.
Lessening the hazard by limiting exposure or controlling it at its source.
Training personnel to be aware of the hazard and to follow safe work procedures to avoid it.
Prescribing personal protective equipment (PPE) for protecting caretakers against the hazard.

5. Emergency Action Plan
All caretakers must be familiar with emergency procedures for the operation.
Farm Emergency Information Sheet listing who to call, what to say and what steps to follow in case of an emergency.
Address of facility.
People at the farm trained in first aid.
Location of first aid kits, fire extinguishers and alarms.
Evacuation plan for each building.
Emergency farm map.
Emergency contact information outside building for caretakers and neighbors to use if they notice something is wrong.
Owner number, veterinarian number, power and electric company, emergency 911, etc.

6. Fire Prevention and Safety
Good housekeeping helps prevent fires.
Remove weeds and brush from all sides of the buildings.
Keep work areas clean and clutter free.
Keep flammable liquids in labeled fireproof containers.
Electrical motors and appliances are a significant source of fire hazards.
Check each regularly for exposed wiring, broken insulation, improper grounding and improper installation.
If caretakers smoke, they should do so only in designated areas.

7. Hearing Health and Safety
Working on farms will be noisy at times. When people are exposed to high noise levels for a number of years without taking precautions, they can suffer hearing loss.
Wear hearing protection while conducting these tasks:
Feeding animals in barns
Power washing
Processing animals
Treating and vaccinating animals
Bleeding animals
Feed processing
Sorting animals
Moving animals
Loading animals
Working around aeration fans for grain bins
Operating machinery

8. Personal Protective Equipment
Designed to protect you from loud noises, dust, chemicals and other substances that can harm your health.
Wear equipment the entire time you’re working on a task.
Keep PPE clean and in good shape and check for damage each time you wear it.

9. Personal Hygiene
Wash hands before and after working in barn and with animals.
Wear waterproof and puncture resistant gloves when caring for sick animals or assisting with procedures.
Wear facial protection whenever exposed to splashes or sprays.
Clean all injured areas with soap and water immediately.
Establish designated areas for eating and drinking.

10. Other Ways to Promote Health and Safety
Respiratory Health and Safety
Dusk masks help block entry of dust into lungs.
Electrical Safety
Do not perform electrical work unless you have been trained.
Do not overload an outlet.
Keep electric cords & electrical equipment away from water.

11. Other Ways to Promote Health and Safety
Needle Sticks and Cuts
Dispose of all sharps in designated
puncture-proof sharps containers.
Report all accidental injections and cuts to an adult immediately.
Safe Animal Handling
Understand typical animal behavior by
reviewing GPP #9.

12. Maintain Proper Workplace Safety
REMEMBER
SAFETY is EVERYONE’S
RESPONSIBILITY!