Crocodile farms
This section has been designed to assist persons conducting a business or undertaking, including employers and other obligation holders at crocodile farms, to discharge their obligation under workplace health and safety legislation.
Many of the tasks performed at crocodile farms are similar to other workplaces that exhibit crocodiles, however, workers at crocodile farms generally perform high risk tasks, including egg collection, more frequently.
Egg collection is a high risk task, due to the risk of crocodile attack from:
- the female crocodile guarding the nest
- other female crocodiles guarding their own nests in the area
- territorial male crocodiles.
When performing egg collection the following control measures should be considered:
- isolation of crocodiles e.g. by means of gates, fencing or other barriers
- isolation of the worker by physical barrier so that crocodile attack is not possible while egg collection is being performed
- restraint of crocodile by top-jaw rope
- use of spotters in conjunction with workers to distract crocodile(s), using physical barriers where required.
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