Ergonomic interventions in meatpacking plants

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

"This book contained three in depth reports of intervention projects designed to reduce ergonomic hazards at meat packing facilities. The first study site was a pork slaughter and processing facility employing 1,200 persons slaughtering 7,500 to 7,800 hogs per day. The second case study involved two components, one describing a corporate ergonomics program and assessing the program's effectiveness, and the other demonstrating that the activities and performance of two ergonomics teams in a single facility of the corporation were effective. The corporation and its subsidiaries manufactured, marketed, and distributed meat products. The third setting was a medium sized meat processor. The facility was an all inclusive beef processing operation containing a modern slaughtering facility processing about 1,000 cows each day; a complete whole muscle boning and trimming operation; and a beef restructuring operation. The following findings were cited: participatory efforts will have to be sustained in order to solve ergonomic programs and in house direction and support must be strong and tied to staff expertise; in house knowledge and team activities which reflect an orderly approach to problem solving can be created through training; team size should be kept to a minimum; access must be facilitated to the necessary information; and means for evaluating team efforts and results need to be written into the overall plan for a participatory ergonomic program." - NIOSHTIC-2 Includes bibliographical references (p. 205-214).

edited by Christopher C. Gjessing, Theodore F. Schoenborn, Alexander Cohen.

Book

Stephen B. Thacker CDC Library collection