OSHA Inspections of Meat and Poultry Industry to Target Specific Hazards, Off-Shift Times
New inspection guidance for the animal slaughtering and processing industry is intended to ensure that OSHA inspections of these workplaces will focus on hazards such as ergonomics and musculoskeletal disorders, occupational noise, and chemical hazards including peracetic acid, ammonia, and chlorine. The updated guidance, outlined in an OSHA memorandum for regional administrators and state designees, supersedes previous guidance that only applied to poultry slaughtering and processing. The agency’s decision to expand its guidance to apply to the broader animal slaughtering and processing industry is due to high rates of occupational injuries and illnesses among meat and poultry workers, who are seriously injured “at double the rate of other workers,” OSHA’s news release states. These workers are also at increased risk of work-related illness. For example, in 2022, reported cases of occupational illness among workers in animal slaughtering and processing were six times higher than the average for all industries that year, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data cited by OSHA.
The agency’s updated guidance seeks to improve protections for all meat and poultry industry workers, including those who work during off-shift times, contractors, and temporary workers. According to OSHA, this industry employs many workers who have limited English proficiency, and an increased number of children have been found by the Labor Department to be working in animal slaughtering and processing. The guidance calls for compliance safety and health officers (CSHOs) to conduct inspections during second and third shifts to cover maintenance and cleaning operations, and to include contractors and temporary workers in inspections. Under the new guidance, CSHOs should also review employers’ training efforts to help ensure that training is being provided to workers in languages they understand.
“The goal of this initiative is to significantly reduce injuries and illnesses resulting from occupational hazards, through a combination of enforcement, compliance assistance, and outreach,” OSHA’s memorandum explains.
For further details, see the agency’s news release and the updated inspection guidance.