UFCW action prompts US workplace safety agency to cite poultry producers for ergonomic hazards

Action by the UFCW has led to the first ergonomic hazard citations against poultry producers in over ten years by the US federal workplace safety agency OSHA.

Safety complaints from UFCW members at the Allen Harim chicken processing plant at Harbeson, Delaware were upheld in June by OSHA, which found that workers are exposed to “excessive force and exertion, repetitive motions and awkward postures resulting in ergonomic stressors” leading to crippling repetitive strain injuries. The company was also cited for failing to make lavatories available to workers when they need to use them.

Allen Harim promises humane treatment and ‘bird comfort’ for their chickens but says nothing about worker health and safety.

In December 2014 an ergonomic hazard ruling was made against the Wayne Farms poultry facility in Jack, Alabama for heavy-lifting hazards which also cause musculoskeletal injuries.