Independent Study Finds No Correlation between Poultry Evisceration Line Speed and Worker Safety

Independent Study Finds No Correlation between Poultry Evisceration Line Speed and Worker Safety

• January 10, 2025

WASHINGTON, D.C. - A new, independent study released today by USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) found that the risk of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), like carpel tunnel syndrome, among workers at poultry processing plants operating was not influenced by evisceration line speed.

The study also found:

• The exposure levels for increased MSD risk for many poultry processing jobs were similar to levels observed in other studies;
• Evisceration line speed is not indicative of MSD risk; and
• While piece rate, the number of chicken parts handled per minute by each worker, was associated with evisceration line speed, this was offset by adequately increasing the number of workers doing the job.

"As a result of this study, we strongly urge the agency to initiate rulemaking to increase evisceration line speeds to a minimum of 175 birds per minute (bpm) for all broiler establishments instead of the current waiver approach," said Ashley Peterson, Ph.D., NCC senior vice president of scientific and regulatory affairs. "The current approach has created significant uncertainty for companies with waivers and a competitive disadvantage for those without them. The agency should move to a level playing field and help increase the global competitiveness of the U.S. broiler industry."

While the industry has been safely increasing line speeds over the past 30 years, the poultry industry's injury and illness rate has fallen 89 percent, according to the most recent data from the U.S. Department of Labor, demonstrating the tremendous advancements the industry has made in improving safety for its workforce.

The incidence of occupational injuries and illnesses within the poultry sector's slaughter and processing workforce is now at an all-time low and has fallen below all general industry, manufacturing, and food manufacturing levels for the first time since the Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) began recording injuries and illnesses information in 1994. The poultry industry's rate of 2.6 injuries per 100 full-time workers was below the rate of 4.7 for similar agricultural industries, lower than 3.6 for the entire food manufacturing sector, and lower than all manufacturing industries at 2.8.

"Our employees are our most important asset," Peterson continued. "The industry has always prioritized their safety and remains dedicated to preventing workplace injuries and illnesses. We work with teams of experts including ergonomists, industrial hygienists and academia in the development and implementation of our worker safety programs. Although we have seen a substantial reduction in injury and illness rates, the industry remains committed to continuous improvement and exploring innovative approaches to further protect our workforce. While many of the recommendations in the report are already included in our current worker safety programs, we take the recommendations seriously and will use the information to bolster our existing programs as appropriate."

Background

The evisceration line is the part of a poultry processing plant where the birds' organs are removed and the carcass is cleaned, washed, and inspected. This part of the process is highly automated, and it is not the part of the plant where the birds are slaughtered or where workers cut up and debone the chicken for packaging.

From October 2018 to April 2022, FSIS granted 53 evisceration line speed waivers in poultry establishments, which included 20 establishments from the long-running Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP)-Based Inspection Models Project (HIMP) pilot to allow qualifying New Poultry Inspection System (NPIS) establishments to operate evisceration line speeds up to 175 bpm, up from 140 bpm.

In January 2022, the U.S. District Court of the District of Columbia granted USDA's motion for voluntary remand in a case challenging the issuance of line speed waivers to certain establishments participating in the New Poultry Inspection System. The remand directed USDA to reconsider the poultry line speed waiver program based on the time-limited trials it implemented for certain swine establishments participating in the New Swine Slaughter Inspection System.

In July 2022, USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced it was contracting with a team of third-party academics to conduct a study with select poultry establishments to consider the impact of increased line speeds on worker safety. The scope of work was to "assist the FSIS in assessing the relationship between evisceration line speed in young chicken and swine slaughter establishments and the scope, magnitude, and factors that influence worker safety and health risks for establishment employees impacted by the speed of the slaughter line."

To maintain line speed waivers, poultry establishments were required to participate in the study, provide worker safety information, and allow the third-party academics access to their establishments.

Some of these establishments that had line speed waivers and agreed to the study were first granted waivers in a pilot program in the Clinton administration, while others had received waivers after submitting rigorous worker and food safety data during subsequent administrations.

While the study measuring the impact of increased line speeds on worker safety was being completed and to allow for the incoming administration to make regulatory decisions related to line speed waivers, FSIS extended the period until May 15, 2025, for those plants with increased line speed waivers.

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