Dive Brief:
- Workers at U.S. pork and poultry plants have a higher risk of getting carpal tunnel syndrome and other musculoskeletal disorders while on the job compared to other manufacturing workers, according to two recent studies from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
- Researchers said health risks for workers grew as the number of pieces per minute they handled increased. However, the effect of line speeds on the results varied by location due in part to staffing levels and equipment deficiencies, such as dull knives and the type of job performed.
- The studies teams’ recommended increased hiring and implementing ergonomic programs to mitigate the health risks of employees who often perform repetitive tasks with dangerous equipment.
Dive Insight:
The USDA studies come after years of debate regarding the effect that production line speeds have on worker safety. Meat producers have pushed hard for waivers to operate faster line speeds to add efficiencies, and the USDA has worked to measure the impact of increased line speeds on worker health.
For the studies, a research team from the University of California, San Francisco, evaluated 1,047 poultry plant workers and 574 pork plant workers at 17 locations, conducting surveys, measurements and medical interviews over the past year. A majority of workers surveyed were African American or Latino and spoke limited or no English.
Roughly 81% of surveyed workers were at high risk for musculoskeletal disorders, with the highest scores among those processing chicken breasts, thighs and trim, according to the poultry study.
For most jobs, the poultry facilities had similar piece rates — meaning the amount of meat parts handled per minute — regardless of line speeds, supporting the idea that increased staffing could alleviate health risks while keeping production consistent. However, research showed decreased line speeds would also help.
Labor Secretary Julie Su said the USDA’s studies underscore how common chronic pain and musculoskeletal conditions are in the meatpacking industry and how they often go underreported.
“I hope that meat and poultry companies do what is needed to make worker safety a first principle,” Su said. “The health of our nation depends on it.”
Over the years, Republican lawmakers have called on the USDA to allow for increased line speeds so processing plants can reach their full capacity. On the other side, critics have called for worker safety reforms to prevent on-the-job injuries, including slower line speeds.
The USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service began a study measuring line speeds’ impact on worker health in 2022, extending the timeline of the research multiple times. FSIS most recently extended the current swine and poultry line speed waivers for participating companies through May 15.
“It’s reassuring to see independent studies proving that higher line speeds are not a leading factor in risks to worker safety in pork and poultry processing plants,” House Agriculture Chairman Glenn “GT” Thompson and Senate Agriculture Chairman John Boozeman said in a joint statement.
In pork plants, about 46% of the workers were at high risk for musculoskeletal disorders, and the effect of line speeds varied between establishments, according to the other study. One pork facility showed that increased line speeds led to increased health risks, while a different plant had a decrease in health risks while operating at faster speeds.
Thompson and Boozeman have criticized the Biden administration for prolonging the studies in an attempt to villainize the industry.
“We look forward to working with the incoming Trump administration to develop a long-term solution to ensure meat and poultry companies have the certainty they need to produce high-quality protein,” they said.