Meat Processing MSD Risks on Rise

More than 80% of poultry-processing workers and 46% of pork-processing workers face an increased risk of developing a musculoskeletal injury (MSD), according to a pair of studies from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety Inspection Service.
A higher piece rate, that is, the number of meat parts a worker handles per minute, was associated with a greater MSD risk.
The researchers observed that multiple facilities haven’t implemented long-established ergonomics best practices, some published by OSHA as early as 1993.
In March, USDA announced plans to “formalize” a trial of faster line speeds at certain processing facilities.
The agency also said it no longer would require plant operators to submit worker safety data.
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The remaining two weeks of National Safety Month will focus on roadway safety and worker wellbeing, according to the National Safety Council.
For roadway safety, NSC is asking workers to eliminate distractions, including putting their phones on “Do Not Disturb” while behind the wheel.
Also, the NSC is highlighting the need to be cautious in parking lots, where it says incidents are extremely common.
The final week of the month, programs will focus on wellbeing, with an emphasis on managing stress and fatigue.
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The reported transportation occurrences across Canada’s air, marine, pipeline, and rail sectors fell in 2024, according to the Transportation Safety Board of Canada’s final statistical summary for the year.
While TSB combines employee and passenger data, passenger injuries are rare, meaning most of those counted in this category are workers.
In 2024, a total of 3,222 occurrences (accidents and incidents) were reported to the TSB. Of these, there were 1,303 accidents, a decrease of 3% from 2023 and 14% compared to the 10-year average of 1,507.
In the marine transportation sector, most of the 12 fatalities (10) were linked to commercial fishing safety, which continues to be a key safety concern on the TSB’s Watchlist.
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