What Safety Standards Must Dairy Farms Comply To?
In the United States, the top six dairy states are, in order by total milk production; California, Wisconsin, Idaho, New York, Michigan, and Pennsylvania.
The slogan on Wisconsin’s license plate — “America’s Dairyland” — celebrates the state’s number one agricultural activity and iconic status as a milk and cheese producer.
Number of licensed Wisconsin dairy farms 9,900 dairy farms
• Number of Wisconsin dairy cows 1,279,000 dairy cows
• Average milk production per cow per year in Wisconsin 22,697 lbs. / 2,639 gal.
Total Wisconsin milk production 29,030,000,000 lbs. / 3,376,000,000 gal.
• Wisconsin milk production (percentage of the U.S. total) 13.9%
• Average number of cows per farm in Wisconsin 129 dairy cows
Total Wisconsin cheese production 3,045,748,000 lbs.
• Wisconsin cheese production (percentage of the U.S. total) 26.0%
Total Wisconsin specialty cheese production (2014) 659,887,000 lbs.
Total Wisconsin cheddar cheese production 615,546,000 lbs.
Total Wisconsin other American cheese production 287,351,000 lbs.
Total Wisconsin mozzarella cheese production 1,047,221,000 lbs.
Total Wisconsin other Italian cheese production 482,782,000 lbs.
Total Wisconsin dry whey (for human consumption) production 308,582,000 lbs.
• Number of cheese plants in Wisconsin 138 plants
• Number of butter plants in Wisconsin 14 plants
• Number of yogurt plants in Wisconsin 14 plants
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued a Machine Guarding Standard for Agriculture. The purpose of the standard is to protect all agricultural workers from hazards associated with moving parts on farm field equipment and farmstead equipment used in agricultural operations.
"Farm field equipment" means tractors or implements, including self-propelled implements, used in agricultural operations.
(1) All power transmission components must be guarded according to Occup. Safety and Health Standards for Agriculture, Sub Part D, Safety for Agricultural Equipment, 1928.57, Guarding of farm field equipment, farmstead equipment
(2) The manufacturer's instruction manual, if published by the manufacturer and currently available, must be the source of information for the safe operation and maintenance of field equipment.
(3) You must ensure that all power takeoff shafts, including rear, mid-mounted or side-mounted shafts, are guarded by a master shield, as follows:
(a) The rear power takeoff has a master shield. The master shield is strong enough to prevent permanent deformation of the shield when a 250-pound operator mounts or dismounts the tractor using the shield as a step.
(b) Power takeoff driven equipment is guarded to prevent employee contact with rotating members of the power drive system. When the tractor master shield must be removed to use specific power takeoff driven equipment, the equipment must provide protection from the part of the tractor power takeoff shaft that protrudes from the tractor.
(c) Signs are placed at prominent locations on the tractor and on power takeoff driven equipment requiring that safety shields are kept in place.
(4) The following functional components must be shielded to a degree consistent with the intended function and operator's vision of the component.
• Snapping or husking rolls;
• Straw spreaders and choppers;
• Cutterbars;
• Flail rotors;
• Rotary beaters;
• Mixing augers;
• Feed rolls;
• Conveying augers;
• Rotary tillers; and
• Similar units that must be exposed for proper function
(5) Where removing a guard or access door will expose an employee to any component that continues to rotate after the power is disengaged, you must provide, in the immediate area:
(a) A safety sign warning the employee to look and listen for evidence of rotation and to wait until all components have stopped before removing the guard or access door.
(b) A readily visible or audible warning of rotation on equipment manufactured after October 25, 1976.
(6) If the mounting steps or ladder and the handholds of the propelling vehicle are made inaccessible by installation of other equipment, other steps and handholds must be provided on the equipment.
(7) You must ensure that the operator's steps and platform have a slip-resistant covering to minimize the possibility of slipping.
(8) Powered machines not driven by an individual motor must have a clutch or other effective means of stopping.
(9) All friction clutches must have sufficient clearance and be kept adjusted to prevent drag or creeping when disengaged
