Meatpacking is a Dangerous Gig in Nebraska

After a growing concern about the dangerous conditions faced by meatpacking workers, Nebraska issued a Bill of Rights to help protect the workers ten years ago. Today, a new report on the matter from the Nebraska Appleseed Center for Law in the Public Interest says that the job is still an unsafe one to have.

The unhealthy conditions include mental and emotional abuse due to debasing treatment and verbal attacks, as well as an impossible demand for quick line production. Meatpacking, the study concluded, is one of the most dangerous jobs in America.

Of the thousands of workers employed by the Nebraska meatpacking industry, 455 were surveyed in five separate communities cross the state. Though the report did not name names, it did name specific complaints, such as:

• Work Speed: Though the number of employees has decreased over the past year at 94% of the plants, 74% of those surveyed report that the speed of the line work has increased. 62% of workers also report being injured on such lines.
• Motion Injuries:  These injuries, caused by repetitive movements throughout the day, cause edema in the hands as well as the curling of limbs to where they can no longer function. Workers often ignore their pain until it’s too late to repair the damage as well.
• Medical Insurance: Workers reported that their companies chose medical providers that were working for the companies’ best interest rather than the workers’.
• Hundreds of Complaints: These were varied but often reported the same thing—injuries, impossible line speed expectations, supervisor abuse, and harassment—even being denied the right to go to the bathroom.
• Psychological Harm:  Being humiliated by superiors, screamed at, and generally treated as non-humans were all reported by many of those surveyed.

The report also suggested ways for companies to rectify these issues. It also indicated that the value of workplace safety in this instance isn’t just vital for the workers involved, but for the people who purchase food from Omaha and other areas surveyed. The quality of the product will be impacted by the workers handling it, and therefore when people are harmed, the meat is harmed as well—possibly to levels that would also harm those who would ingest it.

That said, workplace safety—and dignity—should be a concern for all humans. Every person deserves the right to a safe, harassment-free workplace, regardless of what industry that job might be in.