Ergonomic interventions in meatpacking plants

"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.

Stephen B. Thacker CDC Library collection