By Kristin Bakker

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety & Inspection Service (FSIS) announced the release of two studies on the impact of line speeds on worker health and safety in poultry and swine processing establishments.

In November 2022, FSIS funded a research team from the University of California San Francisco to “assist the FSIS in assessing the relationship between evisceration line speed in young chicken and swine slaughter establishments and the scope, magnitude and factors that influence worker safety and health risks for establishment employees impacted by the speed of the slaughter line.”

The scope of work included evaluating the impact of evisceration line speed on the risk of (1) acute and chronic work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) and (2) antimicrobial-related respiratory exposure.

Swine study

The Swine Processing Line Speed Evaluation (PULSE) report, published Jan. 9, summarizes the findings for swine processing establishments and is authored by co-principal investigators Drs. Carisa Harris-Adamson and Robert Harrison, as well as Drs. Melissa Afterman, Alan Barr, Sheiphali Gandhi, Matthew O. Gribble, Frederick Houghton, Jenny Houlroyd and David Rempel.

For the Swine PULSE, conducted between July 2024 and January 2025, the study team enrolled 574 workers from six New Swine Inspection System (NSIS) establishments and conducted surveys, medical interviews and measurements of ergonomic exposure and airborne peracetic acid (PAA) concentrations. Data were collected from workers who performed 78 jobs in four processing areas (front end, main chain, offal, cut floor) while establishments operated for several days at non-time-limited trial (non-TLT) evisceration line speeds of 1,106 head per hour (HPH) and for several days at their TLT evisceration line speeds of more than 1,106 HPH.

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Data were collected using cross-sectional observational methods and crossover experimental methods. All establishments allowed the study team to enter the establishment for seven days (four days during week 1 and three days during week 2) and provided additional information on operations and injury prevention and management programs as requested by the investigators. Enrolled establishments operated at 1,106 during the non-TLT Line Speed week and, depending on the establishment, up to 350 HPH faster during the TLT Line Speed week.

Key findings from the swine study included:

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Poultry study

The Poultry PULSE report, also published Jan. 9, is authored by co-principal investigators Drs. Carisa Harris-Adamson and Robert Harrison, along with Drs. Melissa Afterman, Alan Barr, Sheiphali Gandhi, Frederick Houghton, Elizabeth Noth and David Rempel.

Between November 2023 and April 2024, the Poultry PULSE study team enrolled 1,047 poultry processing workers at 11 New Poultry Inspection System (NPIS) establishments operating at evisceration line speeds between 140 and 175 birds per minute (BPM). The study team conducted surveys and medical interviews and took measurements of ergonomic exposures and PAA concentrations.

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The participating establishments agreed to allow researchers to enter the establishment for three days and provided additional information on operations and injury prevention and management programs as requested by the investigators. Data from the surveys, interviews and exposure measures were analyzed. The key findings are presented in the report and summarized below:

Reaction

Calling it “a win for efficiency in feeding a growing population and alleviating supply issues,” the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) celebrated FSIS's decision to extend the NSIS increased line speed trials through May 15, 2025.

“Pork producers appreciate USDA’s thoughtful and thorough approach to maintaining increased packing capacity, giving us more opportunities to safely and more efficiently deliver our products to consumers,” said NPPC president and Minnesota pork producer Lori Stevermer. “As expected, after more than three years of operating at increased line speeds, FSIS has confirmed that increased line speeds are not a leading factor in worker safety.”

After completing months-long studies at six pork processing plants, “line speeds were not determined to be the leading factor in worker musculoskeletal disorder risk at these plants,” according to FSIS.

Without the increase in line speeds – and the resulting decrease in packing capacity – some pork producers could have incurred an additional loss of nearly $10 a head in the first and second quarters of 2024, according to economists.

NPPC has advocated for increased line speeds since 2019. The council said it will continue to engage with FSIS to find ways to continue expanding and making permanent these increased line speeds to help alleviate supply issues.

The National Chicken Council (NCC) issued a statement in reaction to the poultry report maintaining that the study found no correlation between evisceration line speed and worker safety and recommending that establishments be allowed to operate at higher line speeds, which FSIS had been testing in some NPIS facilities over the last several years by granting waivers to allow those participating in the study to operate at up to 175 bpm.

NCC senior vice president of scientific and regulatory affairs Dr. Ashley Peterson said, “As a result of this study, we strongly urge the agency to initiate rulemaking to increase evisceration line speeds to a minimum of 175 birds per minute (bpm) for all broiler establishments instead of the current waiver approach. The current approach has created significant uncertainty for companies with waivers and a competitive disadvantage for those without them. The agency should move to a level playing field and help increase the global competitiveness of the U.S. broiler industry.”

While the industry has been safely increasing line speeds over the past 30 years, the poultry industry’s injury and illness rate has fallen 89% to an all-time low, according to the most recent data from the U.S. Department of Labor, demonstrating the advancements the industry has made in improving safety for its workforce, NCC said.

“Our employees are our most important asset,” Peterson continued. “The industry has always prioritized their safety and remains dedicated to preventing workplace injuries and illnesses. … Although we have seen a substantial reduction in injury and illness rates, the industry remains committed to continuous improvement and exploring innovative approaches to further protect our workforce. While many of the recommendations in the report are already included in our current worker safety programs, we take the recommendations seriously and will use the information to bolster our existing programs as appropriate.”

In a statement, the Meat Institute noted, “Meat and poultry companies are committed to protecting the safety of their workers. Companies continue to innovate and improve processes and equipment to reduce injury and ensure well-being. The Meat Institute welcomes the opportunity to read these studies and consider their recommendations. 

"The study reflects what our member companies have known all along: that it is possible to maintain worker safety standards while operating at increased line speeds. Now it is time to provide these companies with regulatory certainty and issue revised rules,” the Meat Institute added.

The Retail, Wholesale & Department Store Union (RWDSU), which represents more than 15,000 poultry workers at facilities across the southern U.S., as well as meatpacking and processing workers in other parts of the country, also issued statement in response to the USDA reports.

Stuart Appelbaum, president of the RWDSU said in the statement: “America’s meat processing workers feed American families, but at a staggering cost to themselves. The USDA today released two studies emphasizing this risk; hundreds of thousands of poultry workers are among the American meat processing workers at increased risk of developing carpal tunnel syndrome and other crippling upper extremity disorders.”

Noting that the union has represented poultry workers for decades, “we know all too well how these injuries and disorders can affect workers’ quality of life. We also know that the dangers and risks go beyond the musculoskeletal injuries detailed in these reports.”

Appelbaum called on the Occupational Safety & Health Administration and USDA “make worker safety a priority and mitigate risk at poultry plants” by mandating modifications to job duties that reduce ergonomic stressors and by adding staff to decrease repetitive motion and work speed, among other recommendations.

U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition & Forestry Chairman John Boozman (R-AR) and U.S. House Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-PA) also issued weighed in on the studies:

“The Biden-Harris administration needlessly created years of uncertainty throughout the duration of these studies, which deviated far beyond the original mission and attempted to villainize the pork and poultry industry, despite no findings of higher line speeds being a leading factor of increased risk to workers. These studies confirm what we have known all along – U.S. meat and poultry companies have the highest worker safety standards in the world. We look forward to working with the incoming Trump Administration to develop a long-term solution to ensure meat and poultry companies have the ability to operate at higher line speeds while maintaining rigorous food safety and worker safety standards.” 

Both reports are available on the FSIS website.