Source:  Lisa M. Keefe, MEATINGPLACE.COM, 2/24/11

The U. S. Poultry & Egg Association, National Chicken Council, and National Turkey Federation submitted comments to the Occupational Safety & Health Administration, expressing their concerns about the agency’s proposed, revised interpretation of workplace noise exposure controls.

OSHA’s proposed interpretation was published in the Federal Register on Oct. 19, 2010. The poultry groups, responding under the umbrella Joint Poultry Industry Safety & Health Council, take issue in particular with OSHA’s interpretation of the phrase, “Feasible Administrative or Engineering Controls,” as relates to potentially large investments in noise control technologies.

“The industry’s opposition to the proposed interpretation centers on the fact the interpretation will have a disparate impact on employers based solely on their economic condition and not on the hazards to which their workers are exposed,” the groups said in a joint news release. “Further, the interpretation may impose substantial additional costs on employers without producing a commensurate benefit to employees,” the release said.

Collectively, the three organizations comprising the Joint Council represent companies producing 95 percent of the nation's poultry products and employing hundreds of thousands of workers.
For details regarding the Joint Council’s comments, click here.
 

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