The Joint Poultry Industry Safety & Health Council recognized 244 chicken and turkey facilities with safety awards at the National Safety Conference for the Poultry Industry in Destin, Fla. The facilities were honored in recognition of their outstanding performance through the implementation of innovative and effective employee safety and health programs.

Award consideration was based on injury statistics over three years (2021 - 2024) and an evaluation of written applications by academia and other safety experts. Sixty facilities received the highest level of recognition, the Award of Distinction. The other categories include the Award of Honor and the Award of Merit. Ninety-one facilities received the Award of Honor, and 93 received the Award of Merit.

The Award of Distinction honors facilities for sharing the essential aspects of safety and health training, education and employee involvement and have incurred injury and illness rates equal to or greater than 75% less than Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) results. The Award of Honor is given to facilities based on the same essential aspects but with incident rates between 75 and 50% less than BLS results, and the Award of Merit honors facilities that have incurred injury and illness rates between 50% and equal to BLS results.

“These awards are illustrative of the progress made by the industry regarding the safety and health of its workers, and I want to offer my congratulations to all of these facilities and their employees,” said Allan Foy, corporate director of safety, Farbest Foods, and chair of the Joint Poultry Industry Safety & Health Council.

The Joint Industry Safety & Health Council consists of members from the U.S. Poultry & Egg Association, National Chicken Council and National Turkey Federation. Collectively, the three organizations represent companies that produce 95% of the nation's poultry products and directly employ more than 350,000 workers.