NEW USDA REPORTS CONFIRM ALARMING RISKS TO SWINE AND POULTRY WORKERS IN PROCESSING PLANTS
HEAL Food Alliance Demands Immediate Action to improve working conditions for foodworkers
(WASHINGTON, DC) – On January 10th, the USDA released two studies confirming that poultry and swine workers face heightened risks of carpal tunnel syndrome and other upper extremity disorders. These injuries result from the dangerous combination of excessively high line speeds and insufficient staffing in swine and poultry processing plants where workers are forced to perform repetitive motions at an unsustainable pace. According to the HEAL (Health, Environment, Agriculture, Labor) Food Alliance, a coalition of 52 food workers, farmer, science, environmental and advocacy organizations, the USDA findings show that the meat and poultry industry ranks among the harshest working environments in the US food system.
“The USDA’s studies confirm the harsh and grueling conditions the men and women workers at these processing plants endure,” said Jose Oliva, Campaigns Director at the HEAL Food Alliance. “Most of these workers are people of color, immigrants and refugees, afraid to speak out on health and safety conditions for fear of retaliation or immigration action against them. These studies emphasize this risk: hundreds of thousands of poultry workers are among the meat processing workers who face an increased risk of developing carpal tunnel syndrome and other crippling upper extremity disorders. However, this risk of injury could be alleviated by slowing down line speeds and increasing the number of workers.”
In meatpacking and processing plants across the country, thousands of workers stand side by side working in cold, damp, and dangerously loud conditions, wielding knives, scissors, and other sharp equipment to cut up and process chickens and hogs for supermarkets. Many of these workers receive minimal training before handling these tools, increasing the risk of injury.
According to the Retail Wholesale & Department Store Union, workers in the average poultry plant slaughter and process between 250,000 and 450,000 chickens daily. Similarly, pork slaughter and processing plants handle between 11,000 and 20,000 hogs each day. These staggering numbers underscore the intense pressure on workers to meet production quotas, often at the expense of their health and safety.
“We call on OSHA and the USDA in the incoming administration to prioritize safety in our food system” said Oliva. “Worker safety must become a reality, ensuring that the people who process our food can do so without jeopardizing their health. To reduce health and safety issues in this industry we need ergonomic standards that are enforced in real time by OSHA and created by workers. We must also ensure that workers have access to early and adequate medical treatment. Without immediate action, this report will lead nowhere.”
Oliva added, “It’s also crucial to highlight that the risk in poultry processing is significantly higher than in swine processing. This disparity is largely due to the difference in unionization rates: while about 60% of swine workers are unionized, less than 30% of poultry workers have union representation. This lack of a collective voice on the job leaves poultry workers more vulnerable.”
The HEAL Food Alliance urges immediate action to require worker-defined and industry-wide ergonomic standards, improve training, and ensure medical support for workers. By addressing these issues, the USDA and OSHA can create a safer food system that benefits all of us.
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The HEAL (Health, Environment, Agriculture, Labor) Food Alliance is a national multi-sector, multi-racial coalition. HEAL is led by its member-organizations, who represent about two million rural and urban farmers, ranchers, fishers, farm and food chain workers, Indigenous groups, scientists, public health advocates, policy experts, and community organizers united in their commitment to transformed food and farm systems.