The Joint Industry Safety and Health Council recognized 170 chicken and turkey facilities with safety awards at the National Safety Conference for the Poultry Industry in Destin, Fla. The facilities were honored in recognition of their outstanding performance through the implementation of innovative and effective employee safety and health programs.

Award consideration was based on injury statistics over three years, 2020 - 2023, and an evaluation of written applications by academia and other safety experts. Twenty-three facilities received the highest level of recognition, Award of Distinction. The other categories include Award of Honor and Award of Merit. Ninety-one facilities received the Award of Honor, and 56 received the Award of Merit.

The Award of Distinction honors facilities for sharing the essential aspects of safety and health training, as well as education and employee involvement. These honored facilities have incurred injury and illness rates equal to or greater than 75% less than Bureau of Labor Statistics results. The Award of Honor honors facilities based on the same essential aspects but with incident rates between 75 and 50% less than BLS results, and the Award of Merit honors facilities that have incurred injury and illness rates between 50% and equal to BLS results.

“Congratulations to these facilities ... The awards are representative of the advancements made by the industry regarding the safety and health of its workers,” said Adrienne Allison, senior director technical safety, regulatory & compliance for Tyson Foods and chair of the Joint Industry Safety and Health Council.

The Joint Industry Safety and Health Council consists of members from the U.S. Poultry & Egg Association, National Chicken Council and National Turkey Federation. Collectively, the three organizations represent companies that produce 95% of the nation's poultry products and directly employ more than 350,000 workers.

Sources: U.S. Poultry & Egg Association; National Chicken Council; National Turkey Federation (Joint Industry Safety and Health Council)