Source: Rita Jane Gabbett, MEATINGPLACE, 11/19/13


The incidence of nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses in the poultry slaughter and processing sector is at an all-time low, according to the 2012 Injury and Illness Report recently released by the Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

The total recordable poultry processing illness and injury rate for 2012 was 4.9 cases per 100 full-time workers (per year), down from 5.8 in 2011.

In terms of injuries per 100 full time workers, the poultry industry's rate of 4.9 was below the rate of 6.3 for all animal slaughter and processing and lower than the rate of 5.6 for the entire food manufacturing sector.

Poultry processing's 2012 rate of 4.9 represents a 78 percent decrease from 1994 (the oldest data available on the BLS website), when the recorded rate was 22.7, demonstrating the enormous progress the industry has made in improving safety for its workforce, according to the National Chicken Council.

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