The meatpacking industry has been a profitable industry since the beginning of the 20th century. Since then, many larger organizations modified operations and increased work speeds and productivity while also trimming their labour expenses. However, these tactics consolidated the industry but also created greater working hazards for employees.
Here are some precautions your business can take to protect workers from harm:
Line Safety Solutions:
To reduce your employees’ risk of injury and the risk of food contamination, implement the following solutions:
- Reduce line speed to a level that is comfortable for workers to get their tasks done without excessively rushing and putting their safety in danger. Remember that speeding up the line could boost production numbers, but you will likely pay in the long run.
- Keep accurate logs of injuries and illnesses. Assess your plant’s incidences and near-misses, and put safeguards in place to reduce these occurrences.
- Adopt ergonomics policies at your organization that promote the safe and effective use of tools and work practices.
- Institute more job rotations and more frequent breaks throughout shifts.
- Provide more training for workers, and make it available in multiple languages if necessary. Highlight the importance of prompt injury reporting.
- Purchase personal protective equipment (PPE) for your employees instead of requiring them to purchase it, and ensure it is up to standards and in proper working order at all times. Once again, this will save money in the long run by preventing injuries and lost time.
- Provide adequate space between workers on the line.
- Hire enough employees to staff the line adequately.
Find Out More:
Both employee injuries and contaminated products can destroy your bottom line. When employees are injured, workers’ compensation premiums increase dramatically, especially if injuries are frequent and serious.
Meanwhile, turning out products that are contaminated and can make the public ill will not only result in additional expenses for court fees and business interruption—it could also severely tarnish your reputation, leading to lower profits and reduced sales.
Download your own copy of our Risk Insights: Reduce Injuries and Contamination in Meatpacking for free so you can better understand how to protect your company and manage risks:
