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Upper extremity pain was identified as a common, work-related complaint among poultry and swine processing line employees in two third-party studies released on Jan. 10, 2025, by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS). Officials said the reports offer important insights into how production line speeds, repetitive movement, and other factors may collectively contribute to the development of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) and increase employees’ overall injury risk.
In the reports, researchers recommend that poultry and swine processing plant employers hire more people to reduce the pace of per-piece production. Other recommended occupational health solutions include ergonomic interventions, knife- and scissor-sharpening protocols, and programs for the early identification and medical management of physical discomfort.
The FSIS has advised meat processors to review the reports and their site-specific safety plans to help reduce injury risk. In a related news release, Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su said injuries in poultry and swine processing plants are “far too common” and often are not reported. She invited employers to “do what is needed to make worker safety a first principle.”
In conjunction with the release of the reports, the FSIS extended poultry and swine production line speed waivers that were scheduled to expire on Jan. 15, 2025, to May 15, 2025, for companies that participated in the studies. Line speed waivers allow qualified processing plants to exceed standard maximum line speeds set by government regulations. The waiver extensions are intended to give incoming Department of Agriculture leaders time to review study findings and consider next steps. In the meantime, study participants will continue to submit their food safety and worker safety data to the FSIS for review, officials said.
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