Source:  Lisa M. Keefe, MEATINGPLACE.COM, 2/12/10

The Joint Poultry Industry Safety and Health Council has created an annual safety award program, intended to recognize those facilities that have achieved a high level of safety performance by implementing innovative and effective safety and health programs, the group said in a news release.

The joint council includes the members of the U.S. Poultry & Egg Association, National Chicken Council and National Turkey Federation.

The award program's rules and applications are available here. The application deadline is March 15, 2010, and the awards will be presented during the National Safety Conference for the Poultry Industry in June in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.

"The overriding purpose of establishing safety excellence awards for our member organizations is to recognize the outstanding safety performance achievements of member companies and to encourage continuous safety and health program improvement throughout our industry," the joint council's chairman, Brian Rodgers, said in the release. Rodgers is director, safety and risk management for Butterball LLC.

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