Meat industry injury and illness incidence rates have reached their lowest level on record, according to recent Bureau of Labor Statistics data on 2007 safety results cited by the American Meat Institute.

The industry's Occupational Safety and Health Administration recordable rates have improved by 72 percent since the industry adopted ergonomics guidelines in 1990 and made worker safety a non-competitive issue, AMI said.

The recordable rate — or cases per 100 full-time workers — for the animal slaughter and processing sector dropped to 8.4 in 2007, from 9.1 in 2006. The sector's DART rate, which involves more serious cases, declined to 5.5 in 2007 from 6.2 a year earlier.

Red meat slaughter injury and illness rates fell to 12.1 in 2007 from 12.5 in 2006. Poultry slaughter and processing also improved, with the rate dropping to 6.1 in 2007 from 6.6 in 2006. Red meat processing injury and illness rates, meanwhile, declined to 8.2 from 9.8.

"These encouraging trends confirm that the meat industry's decision to make worker safety a non-competitive issue and work cooperatively to enhance workplace safety has created measurable and meaningful workplace safety improvements," AMI President J. Patrick Boyle said in a statement. "We will continue to work toward even greater safety improvement using what we've learned over the past two decades."