INNOVATIVE saleyard safety infrastructure has played a major role in keeping workers and the public safe while selling livestock.
New saleyards are being constructed with safer access for the public and less time in the yards for the workers, while older yards are being retrofitted to ensure the safety of all involved in the sale.
There are no specific legislation around saleyard safety but Work Safe and Animal Welfare help to make a basic industry standard.
Australian Livestock Markets Association (ALMA) national president Ken Timms said safety is paramount for anybody working in saleyards.
"That's the number one rule," Mr Timms said.
"Everybody's safety is important but so is the welfare of animals that are in the yards."
Mr Timms said ALMA have a code of practice they spent a lot of time developing and it works as a guide for the industry.
More recently the federal government has implemented a process to develop a national standard for saleyards.
Mr Timmins said staff wise he is happy that everybody complies with work health and safety.
"The infrastructure should help to minimise any injuries to anybody working within the yards," he said.
"Also we are the custodians of the animals so when they turn up they should be fit and well, and they should leave fit and well. "
The upgrading of safety has been a positive mood for the industry.
Mr Timms said there is limited man handling of old wooden gates and there are now new latches to remove any chances of animal kick back.
"There is no kick back if the stock hits the gate and it will lock up before it hits anybody," Mr Timms said.
In the past there have been fatal accidents in regards to stock.
Mr Timms said he knew of a few particular cases where truck drivers had been in to load up stock and the stock have been maybe a little aggravated and they have come to harm.
"One particular case the driver was killed by a beast," he said.
"It can easily happen if you are operating alone."
Mr Timms said there are the normal cases where hands are hurt and things like that with gates coming back but most of the incidents are where somebody has been in with the stock and been hurt.
"The new yards are designed so the man power isn't within the stock but operating from outside the yards," he said.
"We have a plan available for our members which takes you through a process of identifying the risks and it leads you to the appropriate legislation in regards to ramps, walkways and those types of things."
ALMA has a code of practice which covers off on a whole range of things within the facilities in relation to animal welfare and human welfare. such as lighting, access, fatigue management.
The code is a recommended best practice about how facilities should operate and should be constructed.
The Australian trucking association also has a guidelines in relation to ramp development for livestock and for workers.
Public safety at saleyards comes down to an arrangement between owners and agents.
In some cases it's the agents who are responsible for the public side of the sale and sometimes it's a combination with the owners.
Currently there is a national standard in regards to animal welfare, but there isn't an equivalent in relations to safety other than general workplace health and safety.
Although chain of responsibility plays a large role in saleyard safety.
ALMA said everybody has a role when it comes to safety.
It's not 100 per cent an individual's role to make sure everyone is safe, but it's up to the user, the owner and who ever is running the sales to make sure everybody is safe.
If somebody thinks its a reasonable action to mitigate a risk or to address something then that's what would be acceptable.
Australian Livestock and Property Agents Association CEO Andy Madigan said it's always going to be a dangerous environment because of unpredictable animals.
"The more we can do to keep people apart from the animals the better of the saleyard is going to be," Mr Madigan said.
