New U.S. Department of Agriculture reports on line velocity and worker safety indicate that more than 80 % of livestock slaughterhouse workers and half of swine running workers are at risk of developing chronic conditions like rheumatism and carpal tunnel syndrome.
Recent line speeds run up to 140 species per minute for livestock and 1, 106 pigs per hour for pig,  , but some vegetation — including Quality Pork Processors in Austin, Minn. — can operate at faster speeds through May 15 , and were the foundation for the USDA studies.
The series speeds, or the rate at which creatures are slaughtered and processed, have long been a source of conflict for slaughterhouse workers and their organizations.
Cost savings are reduced by faster speeds, but organizations and other workers ‘ advocates are concerned that this will lead to more employee injury.
According to the research conducted by the USDA, the piece rate, or the number of animal parts a worker can handle per minute, was more closely linked to a higher risk of musculoskeletal diseases ( MSD ).
” Reducing bit rate, by increasing job-specific staffing or decreasing job-specific line speed, may lower musculoskeletal problem danger for staff”, the agency said.
More than 17, 500 Minnesotans work in meatpacking plants, according to federal data. In addition to Iowa, the state produces the second-largest pork, making turkey the second-largest state in the state.
According to the USDA studies, 40 % of poultry workers reported “moderate to severe work-related pain” over the previous year, and 42 % of pork processors reported “moderate to severe upper extremity pain” among the 17 facilities testing faster line speeds.
The studies “reaffirm what we have long known,” according to the union representing workers at Hormel Foods and the JBS pork plant in Minnesota, according to UFCW International President Marc Perrone in a statement.
The UFCW calls for a full range of safety measures, including increased staffing, improved reporting of workplace injuries, expanded access to timely and appropriate medical care, and job modifications that reduce ergonomic stressors, Perrone said.
In recent years,  , the UFCW successfully sued to block a Trump-era rule , that would have abolished line speed regulations for hog plants.
The National Pork Producers Council ( NPPC ), meanwhile, has a different take on the study. It praised the findings of the USDA study and claimed that it was” confirmed that increased line speeds are not a leading factor in worker safety.”
” Pork producers appreciate USDA’s thoughtful and thorough approach to maintaining increased packing capacity, giving us more opportunities to safely and more efficiently deliver our products to consumers”, Lori Stevermer, NPPC president and a Minnesota pork producer, said in a statement.
The group representing the pork industry says it will “find ways to continue expanding and making these increased line speeds permanent to help alleviate supply issues.”
At the end of last year, pork chops and bacon cost on average close to record highs.
U. S. Rep. Brad Finstad, who represents southern Minnesota, said the swine study “proves that pork processors can do their jobs safely and effectively while operating at full capacity”.
The Republican posted on social media,” I’m proud to have led several initiatives urging the USDA to implement a more permanent solution, and I look forward to working with the Trump administration to make real progress for our pork processors.”
The National Chicken Council argued that the study supports a minimum of 175 birds per minute increase in line speed and that staffing levels could address injury concerns.
The group claimed that while piece rate, the number of chicken parts handled per minute by each worker, was related to increased risk, it was offset by adequately increasing the number of workers actually performing the job.
The USDA said” current risk mitigation efforts are insufficient”, however.
In support of increased worker protections and adequate staffing levels, a union representing 15, 000 poultry workers, primarily in the southern states, joined the UFCW.
” Poultry workers toil in cramped, cold conditions, slicing up birds thousands of times per hour as chickens rush down the line”, said Stuart Appelbaum, president of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union. It should come as no surprise that poultry workers are seven times as likely to develop Carpal Tunnel Syndrome as the average American worker who is injured severely in the hands.
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