The Best Time to Conduct a Safety Audit
A safety audit finds hazards before they hurt someone. The best time to run one is before the busy season and after any big change. Here is how to do it.
Why audit on a schedule?
Farms are among the most dangerous workplaces, and hazards grow quietly: a worn guard, a frayed cord, a slick walkway. A scheduled audit catches them before they cause injuries. It also builds a habit of looking. For heat illness and farm injuries, also see the CDC workplace safety pages.
This is general education, not legal advice. Check with the OSHA site for current rules that apply to your operation.
A good audit is not a hunt for blame. It is a map of where the next accident could happen and how to prevent it.
Hand out the checklist before the walk-through so everyone knows what you plan to look at.
When are the best moments?
Good times include before silage harvest, before calving peaks, before summer heat, before winter storm season, after new equipment or construction and after any injury or near miss. Pick a few fixed dates a year.
A seasonal calendar can help, and this crop calendar guide can line up your audit with harvest planning.
A Texas dairy faces seasonal hazards: heat illness in summer, ice and mud in winter, wind and storms in spring. Match your audit to the hazards of the next few months.
Pay special attention to heat. Provide shade, water and breaks, and teach everyone the signs of heat illness.
- Before silage harvest
- Before calving season
- Before summer heat
- Before winter storm season
- After equipment or layout changes
What should the walk-through cover?
Look at machinery guards, power take-offs, electrical systems, lighting, walkways, ladders, chemical storage, manure systems, confined spaces, animal handling areas, fire extinguishers and emergency exits. Look at how people work, not just at things.
Ask workers what worries them. They often know hazards you do not. For broader guidance see this farm safety resource.
Take photos of problems and fixes so you can compare from one audit to the next. Pictures also help explain issues to employees and insurers.
If you have a safety committee, even an informal one of two or three people, let them lead the walk-through and report.
- Machinery guards and shields
- Electrical panels and cords
- Walkways, ladders and railings
- Chemical and fuel storage
- Animal handling alleys and gates
How does animal handling fit in?
Cows can injure people, especially fresh cows, bulls and animals protecting calves. Review alleys, gates, chutes and escape routes. Train people to read cow behavior and to work calmly.
Check lighting, flooring and visibility in pens. For herd care context see this dairy herd care guide.
Never skip the quiet jobs. Cleaning, lockout of equipment and manure pit work look routine but can be deadly. Review your procedures and get training for confined-space risks.
Rehearse what to do if someone is hurt in a remote part of the farm: who calls, who goes, who meets responders at the gate.
What about emergencies?
Have a written plan for fire, injury, severe weather and chemical exposure. Post emergency numbers and the farm's address for responders. Practice drills. The Ready.gov site and the National Weather Service offer preparedness guidance.
Keep first aid kits stocked and make sure people know where they are.
Make sure at least a few people on every shift know first aid, and check that phones get reception at remote corners of the farm.
Keep fire extinguishers charged and visible, and check inspection tags on a regular schedule.
How do you follow up?
Write down what you find, assign each fix to a person with a date and check that it gets done. Keep records. Review accidents and near misses at staff meetings without blame.
Insurance agents and the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension office may offer safety programs. Mental health matters too. If stress is heavy, 988 (call or text) reaches the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
Include contractors and visitors in your rules, because they may not know your hazards.
Keep an injury and near-miss log and review it at each audit.
How do you make it stick?
Set the next audit date before you finish this one. Keep the checklist short enough to use.
For lighter reading, farm.FM has dairy stories and farm news and satire, including a farm.FM item on farm safety.
Share results with the crew and celebrate improvements, so audits feel useful instead of like a chore.
Sources and further reading
- OSHA: workplace safety
- Ready.gov: FEMA disaster preparedness
- National Weather Service: forecasts and warnings
- Texas A&M AgriLife Extension: Texas extension service
- CDC: public health
- 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: call or text 988
Ask locally: Ask your insurance agent and Extension office about safety programs and training.