Around 24,000 workers are employed in the meat industry. This includes workers in meat processing plants, abattoirs and small goods processors. The cost of injuries is high, totaling more than $22.5 million per year.
What is the impact of injuries?
The meat industry is a dangerous industry with 2.53 claims for every $1 million of liable earnings. In comparison, other high risk industries include agriculture with 0.97 claims for every $1 million of liable earnings, and forestry with 0.81 claims for every $1 million of liable earnings.
In the 2007/2008 financial year, 44% of new claims were due to soft tissue injury, costing $3.4 million. Lacerations made up 23% of new claims costing more than $833,000, followed by gradual process injuries at 16% costing more than $1.8 million.
Contact meatprocessing@acc.co.nz for further information on the number and cost of the most common injuries in the meat industry.
What can I do to reduce injuries?
Everyone has a role to play in preventing or reducing injuries in the workplace.
Use ACC’s key work safety programmes to establish health and safety systems and help keep your business injury-free. For further information see:
- ACC WorkSafe Cycle
- ACC WorkSafe Injury Model
- ACC Partnership Programme. There are more than 20 meat companies in the ACC Partnership Programme. Collectively these companies employ more than 90% of workers in the industry.
Meat Industry Health and Safety Forum
The Meat Industry Health and Safety Forum is continually looking for ways to develop and improve safety practices. For example, as a result of research by the Centre for Human Factors and Ergonomics (COHFE) on Musculoskeletal Disorders in Meat Processing, the Forum has developed a resource to assist meat plants to assess the viability of implementing various health and safety interventions.
Diseases that are passed from animals to humans, called zoonoses, are of concern to the meat industry. The booklet, ACC4712 Common illnesses in meat workers (PDF434K), tells workers about five illnesses – leptospirosis, campylobacter, salmonella, cryptosporidium and orf - and gives information that should help workers to avoid them.
What other help is available?
We have a range of tools and resources to help you identify and manage hazards typical to your workplace – just search our Publications page.
Related websites
Use these external links to find more information:
New Zealand
- Department of Labour
- NZ Meat Workers and Related Trades Union
- AsureQuality – food safety and biosecurity services providers
- New Zealand Industry Training Organisation
- Meat and Wool New Zealand
- Meat Industry Association of New Zealand
- Meat standards (New Zealand Food Safety Authority)
International Links
- Ergonomics program management guidelines for meatpacking plants (Ergoweb, US)
- Health and safety priorities in the meat processing industry (Health and Safety Executive, UK) (PDF25K)
- Meat and Livestock Australia
- Meat packing industry (US Department of Labor OSH Administration)
- Safety and health of meat, poultry and fish processing workers (International Labour Office, Geneva)
- WorkHealth (WorkSafe Victoria, Australia)
Last updated:20April2009