At the 2016 National Safety Conference for the Poultry Industry, 122 chicken and turkey facilities received safety awards by the Joint Industry Safety and Health Council. The companies were honored in recognition of their outstanding performance through the implementation of innovative and effective employee safety and health programs.

The Joint Industry Safety and Health Council consists of members from the U.S. Poultry & Egg Association, National Chicken Council and National Turkey Federation. Collectively, the three organizations represent companies that produce 95 percent of the nation’s poultry products and directly employ more than 350,000 workers.

“The poultry industry has made great progress over the last 20 years when it comes to workplace safety. Today our industry’s safety record is almost equal to that of the rest of the manufacturing industries. Although great improvements have been made, industry safety professionals are continuously looking for ways to improve. No matter their role, safety is a commitment expected of all employees in the industry,” said the Council.

The total recordable poultry processing illness and injury rate for 2014 was 4.3 cases per 100 full-time workers (per year), down from 4.5 in 2013. This represents an 81 percent decrease from 1994 (the oldest data available on the BLS website), when the recorded rate was 22.7, demonstrating the enormous progress poultry processors have made in improving safety for our workforce.

Award consideration was based on injury statistics over three years and an evaluation of written applications by judges Doug Britton, program manager for Agricultural Technology Research at Georgia Tech Research Institute, Jill James of Vivid Learning Systems and George Nassif of Aon Global Risk Consulting. Fifty-two facilities received the highest level of recognition, “Award of Distinction.” The other categories included “Award of Honor” and “Award of Merit.”