FOD inspection of meat/poultry and dairy factories 2013/14
SIM 03/2013/03
Summary
In 2013/14 FOD inspectors are asked to carry out proactive inspections at:
- meat/poultry (slaughtering, processing and products) factories; and
- dairy factories (including butter, cheese making etc.).
These industries are listed under Group A (high hazard) of the HSE Manufacturing Sector Strategy thus requiring proactive intervention/inspection.
Introduction
The meat/poultry and dairy industries have high injury rates and, in meat/poultry processing, significant occupational health risks. The aim of the inspections is to address these risks, encourage management to focus on these risks and encourage worker participation.
The meat/poultry processing industry is the second largest food industry (after bakeries) with 74,000 workers in 1020 factories (82% of which have >10 employees and 63% with >25 employees). The dairy processing industry is the fourth largest food industry with 26,000 workers in 570 factories (80% of which have >10 employees and 64% with >25 employees).
Action
The purpose of the inspections is to:
- encourage management to focus on reducing the main causes of injuries and ill health; and
- encourage joint working between employers and workers/worker representatives and to measure the benefits, such as identification of risks.
In the meat/poultry and dairy industries, manual handling and slips/trips together cause over 50% of injuries and should therefore receive priority. In meat/poultry processing, ULDs from repetitive work cause injury. The other main health and safety risks are listed in Appendix 1. Additional material can be found under Further References below.
In meat/poultry premises, inspectors may also want to look at some of the issues of concern to the Equality and Human Rights Commission (see Background below) – these issues are listed in Appendix 2.
In dairy premises milk roll containers (not the larger roll cages) are used and manual handling of these still causes many manual handling and other injuries.
Background
Between 2010/11-2012/13 targeted proactive inspection was carried out at meat/poultry processing factories following publication of a report in 2010 by the Equality and Human Rights Commission highlighting poor working conditions. This SIM/inspection expands on that inspection and introduces dairies into the target industries.
In parallel with these inspections, HSE Manufacturing Sector will have meetings with the British Meat Processors Association (BMPA), the British Poultry Council (BPC) and Dairy UK to highlight the inspection programme and discuss relevant health and safety issues with them.
Organisation
Targeting
Proactive inspections should be targeted premises of any size in these industries:
- meat slaughtering and processing factories (SIC 1011)
- poultry slaughtering and processing factories (SIC 1012)
- meat and poultry products (SIC 1013)
- dairies including cheese-making etc. (SIC 1051)
(inspection should not be paid to premises manufacturing ice-cream (SIC 1052) or margarine/ edible spreads (SIC 1042)).
Resources
Proactive inspections to appropriate sites should be carried out nationally as resources permit.
Recording & Reporting
Report and record on COIN in the usual manner. Mention the reason for inspection was that the premises fall within Group A of the HSE Manufacturing Sector Strategy, requiring proactive inspection.
Health & Safety
Slips risks are particularly high in these industries, due to wet floors or product on the floor. Sharp knives are used in meat/poultry processing. FLTs are in common use.
Diversity
Agency and migrant workers make up a significant percentage of workers in food processing. Many languages may be represented, thus it is important workers clearly understand both process and health and safety instructions.
Further References
HSE food manufacture website:
- Meat/poultry processing
- Dairy processing
- Roll cages British Meat Processors Association (BMPA)
- Health and Safety Guidance Notes for the Meat Industry
- A Recipe for Safety' HSG252 which supports HSE's long-term initiative to improve health and safety in the food/drink industries.
Contacts
OPSTD Manufacturing, Transportation and Utilities Sector
(General Manufacturing Section)
Appendix 1:
Main health and safety risks in meat/poultry processing: Main causes of injury
- manual handling and lifting - especially lifting heavy and awkward loads
- slips - mostly due to wet/greasy floors or product on floor
- falls from height - off ladders, stairs, plant, vehicles and platforms
- in slaughterhouses, falls from the unfenced front edge of rise/fall work platforms used for access to carcasses suspended from travelling rails (a work positioning harness preventing the worker falling over the open edge of the platform is required)
- being struck by hand tools including knives, especially during boning out etc.
- in slaughterhouses, being struck by carcasses falling from overhead rails (can be fatal)
- machinery - such as conveyors, bandsaws, derinders, skinning machines, pie and tart machines, packaging machinery
- transport - including FLTs and vehicles at loading bays
- exposure to harmful substances and hot objects, eg splashes/vapour from cleaning chemicals
Main occupational ill health risks
- musculoskeletal injury from manual handling, eg lifting boxes of product
- work-related upper limb disorders (ULDs) from repetitive work, eg from cutting, boning, jointing, trussing and evisceration
- noise induced hearing loss from noisy areas, eg powered saws, blast-freezers/chillers, bowl choppers, packing machinery
- infections from micro-organisms, eg Campylobactor in poultry processing
- carcinogenic risk from polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) from smoking meat products
- ill health from long term working at reduced temperatures.
Main health and safety risks in dairy processing: Main causes of injury
- manual handling and lifting - especially heavy loads or sharp edges
- slips - mostly due to wet floors
- being struck by objects - mostly falling objects, sometimes hand tools
- exposure to harmful substances - cleaning fluids, fume, splashes, CIP failures, steam, hot water
- falls from height - off ladders, stairs, tanks and from vehicles/tankers
- transport - including tanker movements and FLTs
- machinery - lifting machines, conveyors, packaging machines
Main occupational ill health risks
- musculoskeletal injury from manual handling wheeled racks, containers etc
- work-related upper limb disorders (ULDs), eg from repetitive packing work
- noise induced hearing loss from noisy plant, eg homogenisers, bottling lines, blast chillers, pneumatics
- respiratory irritation from breathing fumes such as chlorine, hypochlorite and ammonia from cleaning operations and refrigeration plant.
Appendix 2:
Additional health and safety issues in meat/poultry sites
These additional issues in meat/poultry processing are of concern to the Equality and Human Rights Commission:
- PPE - poor quality, lack of appropriate, ill-fitting, sharing;
- MSDs - lack of job rotation;
- training on H&S - lack of training, unable to understand;
- making complaints on H&S issues - unaware how to complain;
- agencies - information not provided to agencies to assist worker selection;
- pregnant workers - lack of risk assessments, unsuitable working conditions;
- care of sick workers; and
- working time breaches.