Needs and Opportunities for Applying Voluntary Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems in the High-Hazard US Dairy Production Industry

The U.S. dairy industry has had consistently high rates of occupational injuries. Occupational health and safety management systems (OHSMSs) have potential to reduce injury rates, but lacking a regulatory mandate for such a system, it is uncertain if U.S. dairy farmers will adopt an OHSMS. Needs assessment interviews were developed and validated to assess the attitudes, experiences, and interests of dairy workers and managers about OHSMS approaches to worker safety. Non-parametric statistical methods were applied to determine whether there were differences between the mean responses of workers and managers and whether their expressed attitudes and interests were significantly strong in favor or against OHSMSs. Thirty-two dairy workers and four managers from four farms completed the interviews. There were no significant differences in attitudes or interests between dairy workers and management. Most of the attitudes and interests were strongly favorable of OHSMS approaches, suggesting that dairy farmers may be willing to adopt an OHSMS voluntarily.