The rate at which injuries and illnesses occur among poultry processing workers in the U.S. has reached its lowest level ever and is below the rate found in food manufacturing in general and not far below manufacturing as a whole, according to data just published by the U.S. Department of Labor´s Bureau of Labor Statistics.
“The poultry industry has continued to improve its performance through an emphasis on safety, new and redesigned equipment and processes, early intervention, and other measures that protect employees,” said Steve Pretanik, director of science and technology for the National Chicken Council.
For poultry processing, the rate of injury and illness in 2006 was 6.6 per 100 full-time workers, down from 7.4 in 2005. The rate has been cut to less than half the level of 14.2 in the year 2000.
The poultry industry rate was below that of the food manufacturing sector, which was 7.4 per 100 full-time workers, and slightly above the rate for all manufacturing of 6.0, according to the federal report. Detailed data are available at the BLS web site at http://www.bls.gov/iif/oshsum.htm.
The National Chicken Council represents integrated chicken producer-processors, the companies that produce, process, and market chickens and chicken products. Member companies of NCC account for approximately 95 percent of the chicken sold in the United States.
Rate of Illness & Injury Cases per 100 Full-Time Workers, Poultry Processing (Industry Code 311615)
| Year | Incidence Rate |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 14.2 |
| 2001 | 12.7 |
| 2002 | 9.7 |
| 2003 | 8.1 |
| 2004 | 7.8 |
| 2005 | 7.4 |
| 2006 | 6.6 |
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics
