The Joint Industry Safety & Health Council recently recognized 215 chicken and turkey facilities with safety awards. The companies were honored for 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 (2017-19) and an evaluation of written applications by academia and other safety experts. Sixty-one facilities received the highest level of recognition: the Award of Distinction. The other categories are Award of Honor and 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 incident rates of at least 75% less than Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) results. The Award of Honor recognizes 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 incident rates between 50% and equal to BLS results.

Based on the latest data available from the BLS, the slaughter and poultry processing Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) total recordable illness and injury rate for 2018 was 3.5 cases per 100 full-time workers, down from 3.8 in 2017. The poultry industry’s rate of 3.5 was below the rate of 5.1 for similar agricultural industries and lower than the rate of 4.2 for the entire food manufacturing sector, while the rate for all manufacturing was 3.4.

“It is always encouraging to see so many companies implementing new and innovative programs to promote safety in their facilities,” said Frank Cruice, senior director of corporate safety and security for Perdue Farms and chair of the Joint Industry Safety & Health Council. “The awards are indicative of the impressive progress made by the industry regarding the safety and health of its workers.”

The Joint Industry Safety & Health Council consists of members from the U.S. Poultry & Egg Assn., the National Chicken Council and the 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.

The companies receiving awards are as follows:

Award of Distinction

Allen Harim LLC

Seaford Feed Mill

Butterball LLC

Alix Feed Mill

Farmville Feed Mill

Green Forest Feed Mill

Turkey, N.C., Feed Mill

Raeford Further Processing Plant

Cargill

Butterfield, Mo., Feed Mill

Claxton Poultry Farms

Claxton Poultry Processing Plant

Cobb-Vantress Inc.

Siloam Springs, Ark., Hatchery

Timpson, Texas, Hatchery

Sweetwater Farm

U of A Breeder Research Farm

Foster Poultry Farms

Cedar Hatchery

Choudrant, La., Hatchery

House of Raeford Farms

Monetta, S.C., Hatchery

Koch Foods Inc.

Hope Hull, Ala., Feed Mill

Cumming, Ga., Further Processing

Montgomery, Ala., Processing

Morristown, Tenn., Processing

Pine Mountain Valley, Ga., Processing

Maple Leaf Foods

Toronto Poultry

Mountaire Farms Inc.

Lumber Bridge, N.C., Processing

Selbyville, Del., Processing

Peco Foods Inc.

Batesville Processing Complex

Feather Lane Further Processing

Fulton Street Processing

Pocahontas Processing

Sebastopol Processing

Tuscaloosa Processing

Perdue Foods LLC

Cofield, N.C., Feed Mill

Hurlock, Md., Feed Mill

Salisbury, Md., Feed Mill

Accomac, Va., Processing

Bridgewater, Va., Further Processing

Monterey, Tenn., Further Processing

Pilgrim’s Pride

Canton, Ga., Feed Mill

Moorefield, W.Va., Feed Mill

Nacogdoches, Texas, Feed Mill

Blane, Ga., Hatchery

Fort Payne, Ala., Hatchery

Pilgrim’s Concord Hatchery

Mayfield, Ky., Hatchery

Nacogdoches, Texas, Center Hatchery

Nacogdoches, Texas, Swift Hatchery

Pittsburg, Texas, Hatchery

Canton, Ga., Processing

Chattanooga, Tenn., Processing

Gainesville, Ga., Processing

Sanderson Farms Inc.

Adel, Ga., Hatchery

Simmons Foods Inc.

Siloam Springs, Ark., Hatchery

Tyson Foods Inc.

Franklin, Ky., Hatchery

Hope, Ark., Hatchery

Hope, Ark., Processing Plant

Tyson of Rogers, Ark., Further Processing Plant

Springdale, Ark., Berry Street Processing Plant

Muscatine, Iowa, Rendering

Robards, Ky., Rendering

Texarkana, Ark., Rendering

Valley Proteins Inc.

Wadesboro, N.C., Division

Wayne Farms LLC

Jack, Ala., Enterprise Complex

Union Springs, Ala., Processing

Award of Honor

Butterball LLC

Carthage, Mo., Processing

Huntsville, Ark., Processing

Ozark, Ark., Processing

Cargill

California, Mo., Hatchery

Springdale, Ark., Processing Plant

Case Farms

Massillon, Ohio, Feed Mill

Shelby, N.C., Feed Mill

Goldsboro, N.C., Hatchery

Goldsboro, N.C., Fresh Processing

Goldsboro, N.C., Further Processing

Morgantown, N.C., Processing Plant

Winesburg, Ohio, Processing Plant

Cobb-Vantress Inc.

Blairsville Hatchery

Fayetteville Hatchery

Tennessee Hatchery

Hartwell, Ga., Eagle Grove Farm

Kentucky Production

Siloam Springs, Ark., Southwest Production

Strawberry Hill Farm

Wadesboro, N.C., Production

Cooper Farms

Oakwood, Ohio, Hatchery

Crider Inc.

Stillmore, Ga., Crider Foods Processing

Farbest Foods Inc.

Huntingburg, Ind., Processing

Vincennes, Ind., Processing Plant

Fieldale Farms

Baldwin, Ga., Cornelia Plant

Foster Poultry Farms

Burrel Commodity Mill

Cherry Ave Plant

Farmerville Cooked Plant

Farmerville Processing Plant

Kelso, Wash., Processing

Turlock, Cal., FTP 2 Processing

Fries Farms LLC

Glennville, Ga., Hatchery

George’s Inc.

Batesville, Ark., Hatchery

Harrisonburg, Va., Broadway Hatchery

Springdale, Ark., Further Processing

Gerber’s Poultry Processing

Kidron, Ohio, Processing

House of Raeford Farms

Arcadia, La., Processing

Rose Hill, N.C., Processing

Koch Foods Inc.

Forest, Miss., Further Processing

Morton, Miss., Processing

Mountaire Farms

Frankford, Del., Feed Mill

Millsboro, Del., Feed Mill

Mount Vernon Hatchery

Princess Anne, Md., Hatchery

Peco Foods Inc.

Gordo Feed Mill

Newark Feed Mill

Batesville Hatchery

Perdue Foods LLC

Bridgeville, Del., Feed Mill

Candor, N.C., Feed Mill

Candor, N.C., Eagle Springs Hatchery

Vincennes, Ind., Hatchery

Milford, Del., Processing

Cromwell, Ky., Processing

Dillon, S.C., Processing

Georgetown, Del., Processing

Lewiston, N.C., Processing

Perry, Ga., Harvest

Rockingham, N.C., Processing

Salisbury, Md., Processing

Pilgrim’s Pride

Harrisonburg, Va., Feed Mill

Las Piedras, PR Feed Mill

Marshville, N.C., Feed Mill

Mayfield, Ky., Feed Mill

Staley, N.C., Feed Mill

Tenaha, Texas, Feed Mill

Canton, Ga., Hatchery

Carrollton, Ga., Processing

DeQueen, Ark., Processing

Enterprise, Ala., Processing

Marshville, N.C., Processing

Mayfield, Ky., Processing

Moorefield, W.Va., Fresh Processing

DeQueen, Ark., Rendering

Simmons Foods Inc.

Fairland, Okla., Feed Mill

Tip Top Poultry Inc.

Rockmart, Ga., Further Processing

Tyson Foods Inc.

Franklin, Ky., Feed Mill

Gonzales, Texas, Feed Mill

Nashville, Ark., Feed Mill

Waldron, Ark., Feed Mill

Center Hatchery (Carthage Complex)

Decherd, Tenn., Hatchery

Dexter, Mo., Hatchery

Eufaula, Ala., Hatchery

Oglethorpe, Ga., Hatchery

Sedalia, Mo., Hatchery

Albany, Ky., Processing Plant

Cumming, Ga., Further Processing Plant

Monett, Mo., Processing Plant

Monroe, N.C., Processing Plant

Nashville, Ark., Processing Plant

North Little Rock, Ark., Processing Plant

Seguin, Texas, Processing Plant

Union City, Tenn., Processing Plant

Van Buren, Ark., Further Processing Plant

Vicksburg, Miss., Further Processing Plant

Waldron, Ark., Processing Plant

Cuthbert, Ga., Rendering

Scranton, Ark., Rendering

Wayne Farms LLC

Danville, Ark., Hatchery

Decatur, Ala., Hatchery

Dothan, Ala., Hatchery

Laurel, Miss., Hatchery

Danville, Ark., Processing Plant

Decatur, Ala., East Further Processing

Decatur, Ala., West Prepared Foods

Valley Protein Inc.

Fayetteville, N.C., Division

Linville, Va., Division

Award of Merit

Allen Harim Foods LLC

Dagsboro Hatchery

Butterball LLC

Goldsboro, N.C., Hatchery #2

Goldsboro, N.C., Hatchery #3

Raeford, N.C., Hatchery #1

Cargill

Gentry, Ark., Hatchery

Cobb-Vantress Inc.

Kentucky Hatchery

Dry Creek Farm

Foster Poultry Farms

Delta, CO Feed Mill

Athens Hatchery

Turlock, Cal., FTP 1 Processing

Livingston, Cal., PC Plant

George’s Inc.

Batesville, Ark., Feed Mill

Edinburg, Va., Processing

Springdale, Ark., Processing

Jennie-O Turkey Store Inc.

Barron Processing Plant

Faribault Processing Plant

Peco Foods Inc.

Gordo Hatchery

Pocahontas Hatchery

Pilgrim’s Pride

Athens, Ga., Feed Mill

Commerce, Ga., Feed Mill

Nashville, Ark., Feed Mill

Douglas, Ga., Processing

Nacogdoches, Texas, Processing

Sumter, S.C., Processing

Broadway Processing

Mt. Pleasant, Texas, Rendering

Simmons Foods Inc.

Siloam Springs, Ark., Further Processing

Smart Chicken

Waverly, Neb., Processing

Tyson Foods Inc.

Eufaula Feed Mill

Pottsville, Ark., Feed Mill

Gonzales, Texas, Harwood Hatchery

Waldron, Ark., Hatchery

Berryville, Ark., Further Processing Plant

Blountsville, Ala., Processing Plant

Camilla, Ga., Processing Plant

Carthage, Miss., Processing Plant

Clarksville, Ark., Further Processing Plant

Dexter, Mo., Processing Plant

Eufaula, Ala., Processing Plant

Forest, Miss., Processing Plant

Grannis, Ark., Processing Plant

Randall Road Cornish Further Processing Plant

Chicken Quick AR Further Processing Plant

Temperanceville Processing Plant

Aliceville, Ala., Rendering

Dawsonville, Ga., Rendering

Forest, Miss., Rendering