The Joint Poultry Industry Safety Award Program is now accepting applications from poultry industry facilities that have demonstrated exceptional safety programs. This award program is open to members of the National Chicken Council (NCC), National Turkey Federation (NTF), and U.S. Poultry & Egg Association (USPOULTRY). Eligible facilities include poultry processing plants, further processing facilities, egg processing plants, hatcheries, feed mills, animal support services and rendering facilities. To qualify, applicants must have implemented innovative and effective safety programs as well as have maintained injury and illness rates below the industry average for three consecutive years.

According to the most recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the poultry industry reported an injury rate of 2.6 per 100 full-time workers. This is below the rate of 4.7 for similar agricultural industries and lower than 3.6 for the entire food manufacturing sector, all of the manufacturing industries at 2.8, and all of general industry at 2.7.

The 2023 incident rate of 2.6 in poultry processing marks an 89% reduction from 1994, when the recorded rate was 22.7—the oldest data available from BLS. This significant decline reflects the industry's ongoing commitment to improving workplace safety.

"Ensuring the safety and well-being of employees remains a top priority for the poultry industry," said Allan Foy, corporate safety director at Farbest Foods and chair of the Joint Poultry Industry Safety & Health Council. "The poultry industry’s dedicated workforce is essential to producing nutritious, affordable food. The industry continues to invest in processes and procedures that minimize workplace hazards. Year after year, meaningful progress is made in reducing injuries and illnesses, resulting in major improvements over the past few decades."

The Joint Poultry Industry Safety & Health Council is made up of members from NCC, NTF and USPOULTRY. Collectively, the three organizations represent 95% of the nation’s poultry products, and their members generate more than 1.3 million total U.S. jobs.

Award program rules, regulations and application forms can be accessed here. The application deadline is May 2. The annual awards will be presented during the National Safety Conference for the Poultry Industry, Aug. 18-20, at the Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort & Spa in Destin, Florida.