Poultry industry’s injury rates mixed

The illness and injury rates reported at poultryprocessing plants fell to 3.8 cases per 100 people in 2017, down from 4.2 the year before, according to a recent report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Rates linked to both poultry and egg processing rose to 6.1 cases per 100 people, up from 5.7 in 2016, implying a possible increase in illness and injury cases in the egg sector for the same period.

“Employee safety continues to be of utmost importance,” the National Chicken Council said in a news release Thursday. “The poultry industry is steadfast in pursuing new and inventive ways to safeguard our workforce.”

Illness and injury rates linked to categories “animal slaughter (except poultry)” and “meat processed from carcasses” declined year over year, while the rate for “rendering and meat byproduct” processing cases increased.