The chicken industry’s worker safety problem

There's a human cost to factory-processed chicken.

In the 1960s, the US began a love affair with chicken, and poultry workers paid the cost. Over the past few decades, poultry processing line speeds have increased to meet demand. But that’s happened in tandem with the decline of unions and deregulation of the industry. The result is a high rate of workplace injuries and repetitive motion disorders, with gaps in workplace safety oversight.

For this video, we contacted Tyson Foods Inc. and the National Chicken Council for comment. The NCC, the poultry industry lobby that has repeatedly requested increases in line speeds, wrote that faster line speeds do not affect the pace of work because plants will add additional staff and lines to accommodate speed increases. Through our reporting, we weren’t able to substantiate this claim, and the NCC did not respond when we asked for an example or for any evidence that this is the industry standard.

The NCC also mentioned that other countries run poultry line speeds as fast as, if not faster than, the US. It’s difficult to do an apples-to-apples comparison with other countries. Claire Kelloway, reporter and researcher for OpenMarkets, noted that in Europe, for example, factories are typically smaller than US plants, and have higher rates of unionization and more industry safety regulation. The regulating agencies enforce longer breaks and switching up job roles to avoid repetition. Even so, working conditions in poultry plants are still criticized there.

While the NCC cited a decline in workplace injuries, advocates and experts say that this data is unreliable. It relies on workers reporting injuries to the government agency that regulates workplace safety, OSHA. There are a number of reasons a poultry worker might not report an injury or illness, including language barriers or fears over their citizenship status. Worker and advocate-led surveys show high levels of injury, here are examples:

Tyson disputes, without evidence, the petition that Magaly Licolli presented on behalf of the workers at the Berry Street poultry plant in Springdale, Arkansas. The company said it was misrepresented to those who signed it and that there were duplicate signatures. Tyson also noted that it offered raises to poultry workers in 2021 amid a labor shortage.

We also contacted OSHA for comment. They noted that they issue citations or fines to any workplace found by federal inspectors to have violated their safety standards, but confirmed that it is under the jurisdiction of the USDA to determine line speeds. They also said that they do not track data on the use of the chemicals we mention in the video: chlorine, ammonia, and peracetic acid.

While reporting this episode I read Christopher Leonard’s The Meat Racket, a deep-dive report into the history of Tyson and the poultry industry:

More reading on poultry plants in Europe:

How meat consumption has changed in the past 50 years:

More coverage of the failed OSHA ergonomics rule:

Deborah Berkowitz, former OSHA chief of staff and director of the Worker Health & Safety Program of the National Employment Law Project, was a crucial source for this story. Here is her recent congressional testimony on workplace safety:

Some reporting on whether more automation could help reduce workplace injuries.

More on the history of anti-union politics, specifically in Arkansas:

For more about the impact of Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle:

[Vox]

This is the second episode in a series of three by producer Laura Bult and Vox’s Future Perfect team, which explores big problems and the big ideas to solve them. This series explores the human cost of the meat industry.

[sambarrett]

I hate to tell you, Tyson sent the director of public relations because they see it as a public relations issue, not a hr issue

[LisaBeergutHolst]

"No access to a union" just means "not allowed to form a union". Unions aren't some elusive natural resource; they're made by workers themselves.

[knusprigeschuhsohle]

this is actually terrifying
I think popular discussions about meat consumption dont focus enough on the human costs at all

[MarkusArkus]

Two amputations per week... That gave me chills.

[el_chapito]

As my mom that works in a chicken plant here in Arkansas I can agree with this . My mom comes back from work in pain every day, in her fingers/hands specifically joint pain, of nerve pains, and is getting surgery on her shoulder next week. She has been there for almost 23 years now maybe more but, as her child it’s very hard to see her come back from work everyday tired, stressed out, in pain. They act almost as if humans where machines.

[.]

Here are two new units to add to the imperial system: chickens per minute and amputations per week.

[IamHat]

20 hours of paid sick time a year... A year. Yeah it's better than nothing but effectively that's nothing.

[mehere]

Interesting. Living outside the US (in Australia) I'm wondering what conditions are like in my country & I'm sure a lot of others watching are too. In future episodes, could you consider mentioning how other countries compare? I think a lot of people would find that really interesting, either letting us know this is a problem in our country too, or showing this is a US only issue. Either way would add to the impact of the report imo

[jeffcrumpler]

I've worked poultry in the Ozarks. It's all pretty accurate. I wonder if she works for George's or Tyson.

[nataliecruzat]

My dad works construction, and he’s been hurt before. Hearing that his job is less dangerous than working in a poultry plant is astounding and absolutely awful

[adamjb]

This happens in almost every industry its all about Capitalism. Raise profits so the upper management gets bigger bonuses Meanwhile the workers get a $20 gift card yearly bonus

[fieldofreeds]

Looking at the meat industry as a whole... there is literally no perspective in which it's moral or acceptable... the human workers, human health, animal suffering, and environmental concerns are all SO bad. When will we stop supporting these industries?
They are the worst industries in the world on the scale of suffering.

[felixthehuman]

I don't think I've ever worked anywhere where OSHA just showed up, unannounced.

[zayanmendoza]

“If you don’t care about the animals, then Atleast have compassion for the people “. -Will smith

[center]

I worked at one of these places where they'd pack chicken breast meat. The safety procedures were ok. But the way they treated the workers was abhorrent. They would rush them. Blame them if the machines weren't packing the meat right. Needless to say they fired me because I spoke up. Now, I'm jobless. :(

[aerofpv]

Keeping the poor poorer is what gives the rich power. It's so evident that the people with lots of money only want more money.

[harmonyam]

This needs to change the people who work are valuable and change should be adjusted for the future

[NerdRapper]

An industry that makes its money exploiting living beings also exploits its workers. This is sad all around. Thank you for this coverage.

[downingbots]

Temporarily bracketing the animal rights conversation (I'm vegan, and I do take it seriously)—What sort of world are we looking to create for humans? We spend a third of our adult lives at work. Good quality of life requires high working standards and working class control in the jobs we have. Otherwise we're just going to be mistreated and ignored because it's not profitable for the business owners to care about our genuine problems in the workplace.