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Safe cattle handling: Mustering

Mustering is a dangerous activity. Make sure everyone on your farm who is mustering knows how to muster safely. Use this quick guide to check if you are mustering safely.

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Assess the safety of your mustering

 

Unsafe  

  • Not providing cattle handlers information about tasks, terrain and potential cattle issues.
  • Not training the cattle handlers who are mustering your cattle.
  • Not wearing a helmet when mustering on horseback.
  • Not using seatbelts, doors, nets, speed limiters or other safety features in vehicles.
  • Not wearing a helmet when riding quad bikes and some side-by-sides.
  • Not reducing the risk of quad bike rollover, for example not installing operator protective devices (OPD).
  • Allowing new cattle handlers to muster cattle without supervision.
  • Not providing cattle handlers with information about the farm terrain and how the weather changes it.
  • Not repairing or maintaining your farm vehicles.
 

Basic safety  

  • Holding a pre-start meeting before you go mustering. Discuss the plan for the day and what task, terrain and cattle issues may be present.
  • Training new cattle handlers to muster cattle safely.
  • Wearing a helmet and other personal protective equipment, such as riding boots and vests.
  • Pre-start discussions and ongoing monitoring to ensure safety features are used, and written warnings if not used.
  • Wearing a helmet and any other personal protective equipment recommended by vehicle manufacturer.
  • Fitting OPD on all quad bikes.
  • Supervising new cattle handlers to ensure they are working safely.
  • Creating and enforcing no go zones where terrain is too dangerous to muster in (eg steep creek sides).
  • Ensuring maintenance is up to date and pre-start checks are completed.
 

Best practice  

  • Holding a de-brief after mustering to discuss what worked well and what could be done better.
  • Training cattle handlers in low stress stock handling.
  • Ensure helmet is fit for purpose, is in good condition and is compliant to relevant standards.
  • Purchase vehicles with, or retrofit Interlocking safety features for seatbelts to ensure they are used.
  • Ensure helmet is fit for purpose, is in good condition and is compliant to relevant standards.
  • Use of safer vehicle such as utes, side by sides or alternative technology like drones.
  • Implementing a mentoring system to pair new cattle handlers with more experienced mentors.
  • Installing geo-fencing technology on farm vehicles.
  • Documented maintenance plan for farm vehicles used to muster cattle.

Improve the safety of your mustering

Make sure everyone knows how to muster safely

Before anyone starts mustering, make sure they know how:

  • to safely operate farm machinery
  • cattle behave and how their herding instincts play a part in mustering
  • your farm musters
  • to identify no-go zones on the farm

Closely supervise new cattle handlers until you are sure they are competent and can do the job safely.

Explain the terrain

  • Create a farm map and give to all cattle handlers. Include paddock numbers or names and terrain information.
  • Drive your cattle handlers around the farm during induction. Show them the terrain and explain the tasks they will be doing, including the danger points.
  • Create a system for cattle handlers to alert each other to changes in terrain.

Have a pre-start chat

  • Have a safety discussion before starting mustering to discuss:
    • the plan for the day
    • terrain to be covered
    • cattle temperament and behaviour and best approach for low stress stock handling
    • personal protective equipment
    • no-go zones
    • speed limits

De-brief at the end of the day

After mustering is done for the day, chat again about:

  • what worked well
  • anything that went wrong or didn’t work as expected
  • what can be done better next time
  • any safety hazards anyone saw, such as boggy terrain

Select the right vehicle for the job

  • Consider whether a ute, side-by-side, quad bike, horse or on-foot is best.
  • If using machinery, check it is maintained and safe for use.
  • Ensure manufacturers' instructions followed, for example wearing helmets.
  • Consider using other means to muster such as the use of drones, or the support of a competent cattle dog.

Avoid mustering alone where possible

Where possible, make sure at least two people are mustering together. If you must muster on your own, make sure you reduce the risk.

Your responsibilities under the law

As a farmer you may be self-employed, employ people, or manage and control a farm. Regardless, you have duties under the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 which can include ensuring, so far as is reasonably practicable:

  • you provide a farm that is a safe working environment without risks to the health of your employees and contractors
  • your farm activities don't expose persons other than employees, for example family, or visitors, to health and safety risks
  • that people, including people making deliveries on the farm, can enter and leave the farm safely, and without risk to their health
  • you consult with your employees and contractors about health and safety on your farm

More information and advice

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