With wildfires becoming more frequent in more regions of the U.S., the health hazards of working outdoors in smoky air is an issue for hundreds of thousands of workers – not just those fighting the fires.

Your farm can exceed all the industry benchmarks for production, but if someone is severely injured, those production benchmarks are suddenly not important. Effective leaders incorporate building and maintaining a safety culture into their farm management strategy.

Studies have also determined that some 50% of feedyard workers are Latino. Combining the inherent risks of a feedyard with a language barrier that significantly hampers communication can set the stage for serious incidents and injuries.

One of the best things you can do to prevent injuries on your farm is to conduct preventative maintenance and ensure everything is it in good working order.

Beyond being a standard of business, providing a safe work environment has a trickle-down effect that impacts all other facets of BQA implementation. Human safety is the backbone of an effective, thriving cattle operation.

What causes the highest number of human injuries on dairies? Most of us think of machinery or confined spaces, but cattle actually hold the No. 1 position. Now, if I asked what causes the second-highest number of injuries, what would be your response?

The exact location and intensity of summer thunderstorms is somewhat unpredictable. Don’t allow the frequency of storm watches lull you into complacency. Severe weather – such as a tornado – can form quickly and turn deadly in just moments.