With line speeds and repetitive motions, employee safety concerns about poultry processing have taken place alongside food safety for the same businesses. It’s why a new report about those on-the-job injuries is generating some good news. For the first time since the Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) began recording injuries and illnesses information in 1994, the incidence of occupational injuries and illnesses within the poultry sector’s slaughter and processing workforce has fallen below all general industry manufacturing.
The poultry industry’s rate of 2.6 injuries per 100 full-time workers was below the rate of 4.7 for similar agricultural industries and lower than 3.
6 for the entire food manufacturing sector, all of the manufacturing industries at 2.8, and all of the general industry at 2.7.
The full report can be accessed here . Poultry processing’s 2023 incident rate of 2.6 represents an 89 percent decrease from 1994, the oldest data available on the BLS website, when the recorded rate was 22.
7. This demonstrates the industry’s advancements in improving safety for its workforce. “The poultry industry has always prioritized employee safety and remains dedicated to preventing workplace injuries and illnesses, with a particular focus on musculoskeletal disorders like carpal tunnel syndrome.
By embracing ergonomic practices and early medical intervention and by adopting new technology and automation, the industry has made significant stri.
