Animal Attacks At Work
Not the first hazard you think of when it comes to being injured at work, but what happens to post men every day. Royal Mail has released figures for the north of the West Midlands, including addresses with an ST postcode, as well as Dudley, Walsall and Wolverhampton. These figures show that From April to June there were 40 incidents compared to 28 for the same period in 2007 – an increase of more than 40 per cent.
This is a small area when you consider the world over has post and dogs that are regularly brought together in what the dog sees as conflict and a threat to his/her territory.
It’s not just dogs that attack though; there have been cases of other animals too such as cats, horses and even the occasional duck or other feathered friend. It’s not just postmen who get attacked either. There are many delivery companies who go to people’s homes all the time.
Outside of the obvious choices when it comes to animals attacking at work there are people who work with animals all the time. Most of them have a happy relationship with our four legged friends but as you can imagine, it does not always go to plan.
The circus may be a thing of the past but there are zoo’s that have animals like the incredibly large elephant. They have been known to trample the person who either is training them or just caring for them. Lion keepers and rhino careers have been attacked. Not all are serious but some have been fatal.
The horse racing industry will have its fare share of injuries both off and on their track. From the stable hand to the jockey are at risk. Riding stables have also had accidents take place where a client may be the injured party.
Farm and vets, RSPCA inspectors to pet store owners are all at risk. Ant job that involves working with an animal can be considered a risk. There is however health and safety rule that apply even to the farmer, the zoo keeper, the jockey and so on. These rules are legally binding in order to protect the staff from injury.
Training is always a key part to being safe at work, whatever you deal with. The police for example work with dogs and they use horses. They cannot just walk in off the street, get an interview and then be let loose with a dog that is potentially a dangerous weapon or a horse for that matter with no training. These animals are used for these types of work because they are huge, powerful and dangerous if in the wrong hands.
Education is they way to prevent accidents when dealing with animals. It’s not just the employee though who should know the rules. A dog should be kept under control by the owner as well as the postman knowing how to approach the house where the dog resides.
The public should be made aware of the animals they are going to be looking at and perhaps touching and feeding while at the zoo. It’s the responsibility of all humans to take the necessary precautions when in the company of any animal, after all, we are the intelligent ones with all the facts available to us, the animals only have their instincts to guide them.
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