Common Chemicals on Dairy Farms: What You’re Using, What They Can Do, and What WorkSafe Expects You to Control

The Chemical Backbone of the Modern Dairy Farm

A dairy farm is not just grass, cows, and stainless steel. It is a working chemical ecosystem.

Every day, hazardous substances move through the shed, the yards, the workshop, the tank room, and the fuel store. They clean, disinfect, preserve, kill bacteria, suppress weeds, treat disease, power machinery, and protect production. They also burn skin, blind eyes, corrode lungs, poison waterways, and, if mismanaged, shorten working lives.

The danger is not that dairy farms use chemicals.
The danger is that familiarity dulls respect.

The Core Chemical Groups on Dairy Farms

1. Sanitisers and Disinfectants

Used for:

  • Milking plant hygiene
  • Tank sanitation
  • Yard and surface disinfection

Common types:

  • Chlorine-based sanitisers
  • Peracetic acid
  • Iodine
  • Quaternary ammonium compounds

Risks:

  • Respiratory irritation
  • Chemical burns
  • Toxic gas release if mixed incorrectly
  • Corrosion of metals and skin

Compliance focus:

  • Ventilation
  • Eye wash stations
  • Correct dilution
  • Incompatible storage separation

2. Acids (Milk Stone Removers, Descalers)

Common examples:

  • Nitric acid
  • Phosphoric acid
  • Sulphamic acid

Used in:

  • CIP (Clean-In-Place) systems
  • Plate coolers
  • Milk lines

Risks:

  • Severe chemical burns
  • Fume inhalation
  • Violent reaction with alkalis or chlorine

WorkSafe & HSNO controls:

  • Corrosive signage
  • Bunded storage
  • Acid-resistant PPE
  • Emergency neutralisation and spill kits
  • Training for mixing and circulation systems

3. Alkalis (Caustic Cleaners)

Common examples:

  • Sodium hydroxide
  • Potassium hydroxide

Used in:

  • Fat and protein removal
  • CIP cycles
  • Yard cleaning

Risks:

  • Deep tissue burns
  • Eye destruction
  • Heat generation when mixed with water

Compliance requires:

  • Full face protection
  • Chemical gloves
  • Controlled dosing systems
  • Locked chemical rooms

4. CIP (Clean-In-Place) Chemicals

CIP systems combine:

  • Acids
  • Alkalis
  • Oxidising agents
  • Surfactants

Risks:

  • Confined space exposure
  • Chemical mixing errors
  • Pressurised line failures

WorkSafe expects:

  • Documented CIP procedures
  • Chemical registers
  • Training records
  • Emergency isolation
  • SDS access at point of use

5. Teat Sprays and Animal Health Chemicals

Includes:

  • Iodine
  • Chlorhexidine
  • Lactic acid
  • Peroxides
  • Drenches
  • Vaccines
  • Antibiotics

Risks:

  • Skin absorption
  • Sensitisation
  • Needle-stick injuries
  • Chemical splash to eyes

Compliance controls:

  • Approved handler training
  • Safe injection systems
  • Sharps disposal
  • Controlled storage
  • Spill response plans

6. Fuels and Oils

Common substances:

  • Diesel
  • Petrol
  • LPG
  • Hydraulic oil
  • Greases

Risks:

  • Fire and explosion
  • Vapour inhalation
  • Environmental contamination
  • Static ignition

HSNO and WorkSafe requirements:

  • Bunding
  • Separation from oxidisers
  • Fire-rated storage
  • Placarding and signage
  • Spill kits and fire extinguishers

7. Fertilisers, Herbicides, Pesticides, Fungicides

Used across:

  • Pasture management
  • Crop protection
  • Weed control

Risks:

  • Acute poisoning
  • Long-term neurological effects
  • Waterway contamination
  • Livestock exposure

Compliance includes:

  • Certified applicator requirements
  • Storage separation
  • Tracking and inventory
  • Spray drift controls
  • Environmental management plans

The Compliance Reality Under WorkSafe and HSNO

Under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 and the Hazardous Substances Regulations, every dairy farm must be able to demonstrate:

  1. A current Hazardous Substance Register
  2. Access to Safety Data Sheets (SDS)
  3. Correct storage and segregation
  4. Appropriate PPE and engineering controls
  5. Training and competency records
  6. Emergency response and spill plans
  7. Environmental protection controls
  8. Audit-ready documentation
  9. Worker consultation and instruction
  10. Asbestos management for older sheds and buildings

This is not theoretical. These are the first documents WorkSafe and insurers ask for after an incident.

The Hidden Chemical Risk: Asbestos on Farms

Many dairy sheds, calf sheds, pump houses, and boundary fences still contain:

  • Asbestos roofing
  • Asbestos cladding
  • Asbestos soffits
  • Asbestos fences

Once cut, drilled, or demolished, asbestos becomes a Class B hazardous substance under the Asbestos Regulations 2016.

Professional control is required, and licensed operators such as PropertyHelp Ltd – Class B Asbestos Removalists manage this risk so that renovation and maintenance do not turn into long-term health liabilities.

Where ChemMatrix Fits

ChemMatrix – the HSNO compliance platform reducing farm injury, environmental harm, and regulatory burden – is designed to pull all of this together into one system:

  • Digital chemical register
  • SDS library linked to each product
  • Storage and segregation compliance checks
  • PPE and training matrices
  • Emergency and spill response planning
  • Environmental risk mapping
  • Asbestos awareness and management
  • Audit-ready reporting for WorkSafe and insurers

Instead of folders, guesswork, and memory, ChemMatrix gives farms a living compliance brain.

Final Word

Dairy farming runs on chemistry.
It also runs on lungs, skin, eyesight, clean water, and regulatory trust.

The question is not whether chemicals are necessary.
The question is whether they are controlled, understood, documented, and defensible.

Compliance is no longer paperwork.
It is part of operational survival.

And the farms that treat hazardous substances as a managed system – not just a collection of containers – are the ones that will still be standing when scrutiny gets sharper, regulations tighten, and insurers start asking harder questions.

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