A safety leader can set the tone for safety in your dairy operation, especially when aligned with management. The safety coordinator directs planning and monitoring and is a key player in a successful safety program. Without this kind of leadership, critical activities such as safety inspections or training can fall through the cracks. A safety coordinator is responsible for knowing the federal, state and local laws and regulations that can impact the operation.
Developing your safety coordinator position
There is a strong correlation between success or failure of a safety program and the individual leading the effort. When developing this position for your operation, the following should be considered:
• What are the essential functions, experience and qualifications the candidate needs?
• Do you want to develop and train an existing employee or hire from outside your operation?
• Are there individuals from within your company who are qualified or have experience as a safety leader in a dairy operation?
• Do the candidates have the right education, training or experience?
• Are you willing to allocate time and resources to train them?
• Do they have the passion for safety?
Responsibilities of the safety coordinator
The safety coordinator is responsible for the following key elements of a safety program.
• Safety program recognition and enforcement – The safety coordinator not only needs to develop a system that formally recognizes employees who promote safety in the workplace, but also to develop a system that reprimands and/or disciplines those who violate safety rules, procedures or fail to comply with assigned responsibilities.
• Safety communication – Safety meetings, postings and distribution of safety information and materials are an important part of the safety coordinator’s duties.
The safety coordinator should encourage employees to report any unsafe conditions or behavior and should provide them a system for anonymous notification, such as a suggestion box or an 800 number.
• Hazard recognition and control – A system to identify hazards, which should include regularly scheduled inspections to observe people, equipment, materials and the workplace, is a key responsibility of the safety coordinator.
• Hazard identification – The safety coordinator should be able to implement control measures once a hazard has been identified. A checklist customized to the dairy operation should be used to guide the process and so that efforts to ensure corrective action can be documented.
• Preventative maintenance – The safety coordinator should ensure that a preventative maintenance and inspection program is in place for equipment/vehicles and make sure hazards or deficiencies are repaired or corrected.
• Incident investigation – In some operations, the safety coordinator is responsible for conducting or overseeing incident investigations.
• New equipment or materials – Processes should be changed or new ones implemented when new equipment and/or materials are introduced into the operation.
• Record-keeping – The coordinator must ensure that there is a record-keeping system in place and that records are kept in accordance to state requirements. Many safety programs fail because even though all of the necessary elements were performed, there’s no record of it to show compliance.
• Employee training – The safety coordinator is responsible for establishing the training topics and yearly calendar to ensure important topics are covered. Training should be in line with both hazard control and mandatory training requirements. An incident often presents an opportunity for additional training. Training topics may include:
• Newly hired employee safety orientations (general and job-specific training including employees transferring to different departments or acquiring new responsibilities)
• Leadership skills
• Understanding of hazards on operation
• Lock-out/tag-out procedures
• Emergency preparedness
• Electrical safety
• Confined spaces on the dairy
• Understanding cattle behavior
• Lagoon safety
• Machine guarding
• Shop safety
• Equipment safety
• ATV safety
• Hazard communication
• Zoonotics
The safety coordinator may conduct all of the training or, depending on the size of the operation, work with supervisors who will conduct training or tailgate meetings.
Professional development for the safety coordinator
Ongoing training and education for the safety coordinator is critical and may include management and leadership skills to more technical topics, such as confined spaces training or electrical safety.
Yearly updates on safety laws and regulations are essential in keeping the safety coordinator apprised of important changes that impact business.
Train-the-trainer programs can provide the safety coordinator with ideas on how to effectively train others on specific topics. There are numerous training opportunities offered to the dairy and agricultural community including educational institutions, industry-association events and governmental briefings.
Ultimately everyone is responsible for safety
A safety coordinator plays a significant role in developing and leading safety initiatives for a dairy. However, the ultimate success is to create a safety culture, starting with yourself, in which everyone within the operation is committed to safety and eliminating incidents by contributing to a safe workplace. PD
Kimberly Naffziger is an agricultural specialist with Zenith Insurance Company and has been involved with the agricultural industry for most of her life. Her background includes serving as Program Development Specialist at California State University, Fresno’s Center for Agricultural Business from 1990 to 2008. In 1997, she became Executive Director for AgSafe , a non-profit organization. While at the university, Kimberly conducted applied research and was involved in the dissemination of information through educational outreach programs for the agricultural industry. Kimberly has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Agricultural Business from California State University, Fresno.
Kimberly Naffziger
Agricultural Specialist
Zenith Insurance Company
