Health and Safety in the Meat Industry

Paper Summary:

In the meat processing industry, health and safety issues are of vital importance in view of the many risks arising from microbial contamination of meat and the occupational hazards faced by workers. The paper shows that the nature of the meat processing industry requires its workers to manually handle heavy equipment on a repetitive basis, and this can lead to serious physical injuries and illnesses. It also shows that unsafe working conditions could lead to lower productivity and increase the risk of losses. Lack of hygiene and safety in the meat processing units can lead to major quality problems with respect to the final quantity of meat. Once meat shows sign of infection, it faces market rejection, cannot be sold and may have to be destroyed.

Paper Outline
Introduction
Sources of Meat
Pre-slaughtering of Animals and Birds
Slaughtering
Microbial Activity in Meat
Meat as Sources of Animal Parasite
Worker Safety in the Meat Processing Industry
Safety and Health Risks due to Equipment and Machinery
Plant Inspection
Personal Hygiene
Concluding Remarks

From the Paper:

"One of the major developments in this area was the evolution of Advanced Meat Recovery (AMR) system, with the objective of achieving efficient separation of meat without the use of vibrating, hand-held knives. It is widely believed that the introduction of AMR has brought about a decrease in cumulative trauma disorders among workers in the meat industry, although there is no direct evidence to support such a view. In the 1999 report of Bureau of Labor Statistics, it is indicated that overall injury and illness rates in the meat products industry dropped almost 20 percent between 1995 and 1999. This is one indicator of the improved working conditions and systems in meat processing companies. The positive developments have encouraged more and more meat industries to adopt AMR, thus reducing dependence on vibrating, hand-held knives".

More papers on Health and Safety in the Meat Industry:

• Book Review # 74585 : "The Jungle" by Upton Sinclair"
• Essay # 68518 : "Health and Wellness in the Workplace"
• Case Study # 114817 : "Health and Safety in Stadiums"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: