Poultry processing injury rate drops to historic low
Injuries and illnesses in poultry processing again fall below all general industry levels again.
Raw chicken
The incidence of occupational injuries and illnesses within the poultry sector’s slaughter and processing workforce has fallen below all general industry, manufacturing and food manufacturing levels again since the Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics began recording injuries and illnesses information in 1994.
The total recordable poultry processing illness and injury rate for 2024 is 2.4 cases per 100 full-time workers annually, the lowest rate recorded by the Bureau of Labor Statistics for poultry processing. The poultry industry’s rate of 2.4 was below the rate of 3.2 for similar agricultural industries in terms of injuries per 100 full-time workers and lower than 3.3 for the entire food manufacturing sector, all manufacturing industries at 2.7 and all general industry at 2.6. Poultry processing’s 2024 rate of 2.4 represents a 90% decrease from 1994 (the oldest data available on the BLS website), when the recorded rate was 22.7.
“Poultry processing has achieved the lowest injury and illness rates ever recorded by BLS, confirming what our industry has worked toward for decades. This milestone reflects sustained investments in ergonomics, automation, training, and early intervention programs that put employee health first. While we are proud of this progress, our commitment to continuous improvement in workplace safety remains unwavering,” said the Joint Poultry Industry Safety & Health Council.
The Joint Poultry Industry Safety & Health Council consists of members from the U.S. Poultry & Egg Association (USPOULTRY), the National Chicken Council (NCC) and the National Turkey Federation (NTF). Collectively, the three organizations represent companies that produce 95% of the nation’s poultry products and directly employ more than 350,000 workers.
“Protecting our workforce is central to everything we do,” said USPOULTRY, NCC and NTF. “The latest Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows that poultry processing continues to outperform general industry, manufacturing, and food manufacturing in incident rates — an achievement that reflects years of focused investment in safety, training and innovation. While we are pleased with this progress, we remain committed to raising the bar even higher to safeguard the health and well-being of our employees.”
Source: National Chicken Council
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