How an Effective Ergonomics Program Contributes to Worker Safety
According to the “2018 Liberty Mutual Workplace Safety Index”—which helps employers, risk managers and safety practitioners identify critical risk areas so that businesses can better allocate safety resources—serious workplace injuries cost U.S. businesses more than $58 billion per year.
In the food industry, meat plants are rife with serious safety and health hazards for workers. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, these hazards include exposure to high noise levels, dangerous equipment, slippery floors, musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) and hazardous chemicals (including ammonia used as a refrigerant). The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports injury and illness rates for the meatpacking industry as 2.5 times higher than the national average.