According to 2023 data assembled by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the Department of Labor, the U.S. poultry industry recorded a rate of 2.6 events per hundred full-time workers in 2023. For comparison, the rate for all agricultural industries was 4.7 with 3.6 for the food manufacturing sector. The rate in poultry processing plants was lower than all manufacturing industries at 2.8 and general industry at 2.7. The 2.6 per hundred rate is a 90 percent decline from the corresponding value in 1994. The improvement is attributed to mechanization that has reduced musculoskeletal injury including carpal tunnel syndrome. The industry has improved safety in plants by introducing machine guards, training and ergonomic modifications with a concurrent development of a culture of safety.
According to the Joint Poultry Industry Safety and Health Council, the poultry industry remains committed to exploring additional measures to protect workers. In a joint statement by USPOULTRY, the National Chicken Council and the National Turkey Federation, “Our employees are our most important asset, and their safety is paramount.” The statement continued, “Having a lower incidence rate than the general industry manufacturing and food manufacturing categories is a milestone we are proud to have reached. We will continue to set new benchmarks to ensure the safety and well-being of employees.”
Incidence rates for other segments of poultry production included hatcheries at 3.6, rendering 4.5, feed milling 3.0 per 100 workers per year. Within the 2.6 incident rate for poultry processing, it is noted that accidents or illnesses resulted in 0.6 total days away from work, suggesting only minor injuries.
It is not clear whether the poultry processing figure of 2.6 per hundred includes cleaning operations by a third party contractor. Employing minors and untrained personnel and failure to follow lockout procedures has resulted in documented and avoidable injuries.