The Joint Safety and Health Council, made up of safety and health professionals of member organizations of the U.S. Poultry & Egg Association, National Chicken Council, and National Turkey Federation, created the “Joint Safety & Health Council Frank Cruice Innovation in Safety & Health Award” in 2022. The awards aim to highlight the development of “equipment-based” and “process-based” innovations created by workers in the industry. The innovations must be pioneering or novel solutions proven to reduce occupational injuries/illnesses or improve safety awareness on the job or in public outreach. 

What better environment to highlight these enrichments than at the International Production & Processing Expo (IPPE), where industry leaders come from around the world to learn about the latest innovations in production, processing, and packaging. The Joint Safety and Health Council is excited to showcase four award winners recognized in 2023 who were honored at a special ceremony at the 2024 IPPE.

Two of the awards honored applicants for implementing equipment-related inventions that make lasting impacts to the safety and health of poultry industry employees. The first winner was Peco Foods in Pocahontas, Ark., which worked with a local manufacturer to design and develop a guard to remove sharp blades from processing equipment that had previously caused injuries. The guard was printed through 3D technology and is now being utilized companywide. The second award winner, Tyson Foods of Grannis, Ark., designed and patented a device that makes it possible to ascend and descend a portable A-frame or a caged ladder without the need to hold the high-pressure hose while climbing. The device allows employees to have three points of contact on the ladder to complete their tasks safely.

Two awards were also given for process-based innovations in safety and health that were developed and tested by the workers. Farbest Foods in Huntingburg, Ind., developed an interactive engagement program to proactively focus on hourly employees and inform them on best practices and expectations. The program has provided employees the avenue and opportunity to speak up during management walks, meetings, and/or training. Employees are encouraged to report unsafe behavior and/or situations. The second award winner is Darling Ingredients, who developed a “Safety TikTok” video series focused on the Job Hazard Analysis (JHA) of each job in the production environment. The JHA videos of these tasks identify the operational steps and crucial safety rules to remember when performing the job. The goal was to develop a short video with a bit of humor that will provide educational content that employees will enjoy watching. The "actors" are the employees who execute the job.

The Joint Safety and Health Council is honored to award these four organizations for sharing these successful innovations with the poultry industry. This award program highlights the industry's efforts to demonstrate that workers' safety and health improvements hold no competitive advantage in the poultry and egg industry. The industry succeeds when innovations that improve workers' safety and health can be shared.