Poultry companies invited to apply for safety award

US poultry industry facilities with outstanding safety programs have been invited to apply for recognition under the Joint Poultry Industry Safety Award Program.

The program recognises facilities that have achieved injury and illness rates below the industry average for three consecutive years through the implementation of innovative and effective programs. Poultry or egg processing plants, hatcheries, feed mills or rendering facilities that are operated by member companies of the National Chicken Council, National Turkey Federation and US Poultry & Egg Association are eligible to apply.

Workplace injury and illness rates for poultry processing facilities have declined by 75% over a 16 year period (1994 through 2009), according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Craig Wyvill, retired division chief of the Georgia Tech Research Institute’s Food Processing Technology Division states, “The dramatic reduction in recordable injuries and illnesses is not surprising when you consider that over the past 25 years the industry has put considerable emphasis not only on complying with safety regulations but also on proactively tackling safety challenges. The industry’s efforts have changed the way safety is handled in processing plants today.”

Application forms can also be obtained on the www.poultryegginstitute.org website.

The Joint Industry Safety and Health Council are made up of members from the US Poultry & Egg Association, National Chicken Council and National Turkey Federation. Collectively, the three organisations represent 95% of the US’s poultry products and employ hundreds of thousands of workers.