Comparison of Upper Limb Muscle Activity among Workers in Large-Herd U.S. and Small-Herd Italian Dairies

Commercial cow milking tasks, regardless of dairy size, have been documented in many regions of the world as strenuous work requiring high muscular effort, awkward positions, and task repetition. Large-herd dairies are common in the U.S., while Europe historically has mostly small-herd dairies. The objective of this study was to compare the upper limb muscle activity during milking tasks between workers at large-herd U.S. dairies and small-herd Italian dairies. This is the first international study directly comparing upper limb muscle activity among dairy workers from different countries using identical methods.