Health and Safety in Shearing (PDF 917kb) - WorkSafe Victoria

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6.2 Sheep pens and gatesHazard or riskSometimes sheep pens, races and gatesexpose the penner-up to risks of injuriesfrom trips, slips and falls.There may also be sharp edges, protrusionsand splinters, exposing the penner to a riskof receiving cuts and embedded objects inthe skin.Risk controlGate hinges, catches, railings and stops shouldbe well maintained and in good working order.Pen gates should be able to swing in and out.Penners-up should be adequately trained in their work.All parts and components used should be free ofsharp edges, protrusions and splinters. Pens andgates should be inspected for protrusions and sharpedges before each shearing and repaired as required.When designing, building or modifying sheep pensand gates it is recommended that as well as usingany published information available, the designeror builder should seek the views of experiencedpenners-up. They have often penned millions ofsheep in hundreds of different pen and gatesystems and have useful information to offer.Further information may be found in Design ofShearing Sheds and Sheep Yards by A Barber andB Freeman and the Ballarat Shearing Shed DesignNotes listed in Appendix 3.Penning up.10 Health & Safety in Shearing
6.3 Catching pens, gateways and doorsHazard or riskThe physical size of the pens may result inexcessive lifting and dragging if too large, orrestrict movement if it is too small. Shared pensneed to be bigger and therefore the shearer mustdrag the sheep further.Protrusions in the pen, particularly on or nearthe gate, can result in punctures, cuts and bruising.Battens that run across the catching pen allowsheep to gain a foothold, restricting the ease oftipping and dragging and increasing the risk ofback injury to workers.Additionally, rotten or loose battens can result insprains, fractures and wounds from exposed nails.Risk controlWhen constructing new sheds or altering the shedlayout, catching pen dimensions should provide thebest tradeoff between pen-ups and distance of drag.The catching pen dimensions providing the besttradeoff between the minimum number of pen-upsper run and minimum distance to drag the sheepshould be about 2.5 x 2.5 metres, which would holdabout 20–25 fully grown sheep. Typically, moreenergy is spent on catching and moving the sheepfrom the catching pen to the stand than on shearingthe sheep. (See the Ballarat Shearing Shed DesignNotes in Appendix 3)The inside of pens and gates should be examinedfor protrusions before shearing and repairs madeif necessary.Battens should run towards the catching pen gate,enabling the shearer to tip the sheep’s back towardsthe gate more easily, reducing twisting and thedistance it needs to be dragged and reducingfriction during dragging.Before shearing, all battens should be inspected andany loose and/or rotten battens repaired. Generallyall battens must be in sound condition and securelyfixed. Light coming up from under the floor shouldbe blocked out if it is causing problems duringpenning. (See the Ballarat Shearing Shed DesignNotes in Appendix 3)These battens in the catching pen are parallel to thedirection of drag and are in good condition.Note there is no light coming up through the boards.Dragging places strain on the back, arms and legs.Health & Safety in Shearing 11
Page 5 and 6: Overview1 What this document is, wh
Page 7 and 8: 4.2 Duties of employeesAn employee
Page 10 and 11: 5.3 Practicable risk controlsThe le
Page 14 and 15: The mesh floor of this pen makesthe
Page 16 and 17: In this pen thebattens are parallel
Page 18 and 19: The pen doors are a good design for
Page 20 and 21: 6.6 Wool and press rooms - hazards
Page 22 and 23: Throwing.There is good circulations
Page 24 and 25: 7 Machinery7.1 Overhead gear and sh
Page 26 and 27: 7.1 Overhead gear and shearing plan
Page 28 and 29: 7.3 Grinders (continued)Hazard or r
Page 30 and 31: 7.5 Shearers’ tools and equipment
Page 32 and 33: 7.8 Electrical safetyIn addition to
Page 34 and 35: 8.2 Shearing and crutchingHazard or
Page 36 and 37: 10 Work in heat and cold10.1 Risks
Page 38 and 39: 12 DustsHazard or riskDusts in the
Page 40 and 41: 14 Diseases from animals (Zoonoses)
Page 42 and 43: 16 First aidArrangements for First
Page 44 and 45: 17 Accommodation, amenities andtrav
Page 47 and 48: AppendicesAppendix 1 - Further info
Page 49 and 50: Other publications and sources• A
Page 51 and 52: ItemNo.Machinery12 Before shearing
Page 53 and 54: Shearing Health and Safety - Risk C
Page 55 and 56: Number oneCatching pen floorsTradit
Page 57 and 58: Number threeRelease chutesTradition

Health and Safety in Shearing (PDF 917kb) - WorkSafe Victoria

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