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Poultry Processing Injury-Illness Rate Falls Below General Industry, Manufacturing Sectors for First Time

Nov. 13, 2024

U.S. Dept. of Labor has tracked total recordable incidents since 1994, and poultry industry has cut its injury-illness rate by 89% since then, becoming a standard-setting sector across all industry.

Andy Hanacek

The poultry industry today has earned a feather in its worker safety cap. For the first time since the U.S. Dept. of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) began tracking such data 30 years ago, the Total Recordable Incident Rate (TRIR, which includes occupational injuries and illnesses) in poultry slaughter and processing has fallen below all general industry, manufacturing and food manufacturing levels.

The poultry industry posted a TRIR of 2.6 injuries per 100 full-time workers in 2023, which registered below the rates posted by similar agricultural industries (4.7), all food manufacturing (3.6), all manufacturing (2.8) and all general industry (2.7). It also represents an 89% decrease from a 22.7 TRIR posted in 1994, when BLS began reporting the data.

The Poultry Processing sector, specifically, also registered a lower TRIR than the Egg/Hatchery, Rendering and Feed sectors, as well as any other Animal Slaughter and Processing sector. In fact, only about a dozen categories that BLS tracks in the Food Manufacturing sector scored as low or lower than poultry processing.

The Joint Poultry Industry Safety & Health Council, which comprises members of the U.S. Poultry & Egg Association (USPoultry), the National Chicken Council (NCC) and the National Turkey Federation (NTF), shared the news in a combined release. Collectively, the three organizations represent companies that produce 95% of the nation's poultry products and directly employ more than 350,000 workers. Over the past decade, poultry processors have gone on an automation spree as workforce shortages complicated the ability to recruit and retain plant floor workers. Automation doesn’t eliminate threats to worker safety, however.

“By embracing ergonomic practices and early medical intervention, and by adopting new technology and automation, the industry has made significant strides in worker safety,” stated the Joint Poultry Industry Safety & Health Council in response to the report’s release. “Nonetheless, the industry remains committed to exploring innovative approaches to further protect our workforce.”

USPoultry, NCC and NTF agreed with the council on its future outlook, saying, “Having a lower incident rate than the general industry, manufacturing and food manufacturing categories is a milestone we are proud to have reached. We will continue setting new benchmarks to ensure the safety and well-being of our employees.”

About the Author

Andy Hanacek | Senior Editor

Andy Hanacek has covered meat, poultry, bakery and snack foods as a B2B editor for nearly 20 years, and has toured hundreds of processing plants and food companies, sharing stories of innovation and technological advancement throughout the food supply chain. In 2018, he won a Folio:Eddie Award for his unique "From the Editor's Desk" video blogs, and he has brought home additional awards from Folio and ASBPE over the years. In addition, Hanacek led the Meat Industry Hall of Fame for several years and was vice president of communications for We R Food Safety, a food safety software and consulting company.