Putting the E. coli back into E. coli Conservatism: Tar Heel Edition

Thanks to workplace safety advocate Jordan Barab for pointing us to an astonishing six-part series in the Charlotte Observer on health hazards in the poultry industry.

• The cruelest cuts

In an industry rife with danger, House of Raeford Farms depicts itself as a safe place to work. Company records suggest relatively few workers are injured each year as they kill, cut and package millions of chickens and turkeys.

But an Observer investigation shows the N.C. poultry giant has masked the extent of injuries behind its plant walls.

The company has compiled misleading injury reports and has defied regulators as it satisfies a growing appetite for America's most popular meat. And employees say the company has ignored, intimidated or fired workers who were hurt on the job.

• An Epidemic of Pain

Like black lung in the coal industry and brown lung in textiles, the hands of the poultry industry suffer a long-neglected threat. Two decades ago, musculoskeletal disorders at poultry and meatpacking plants prompted a public outcry. Legislators and government officials vowed change.

Now, an Observer investigation shows, the hands of poultry workers are more threatened than ever.

• He says his agency is at fault

Bob Whitmore is doing what few career government employees dare -- publicly criticizing his own agency.

Whitmore, an expert in record-keeping requirements for the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration, said OSHA is allowing employers to vastly underreport the number of injuries and illnesses their workers suffer.

The true rate for some industries -- including poultry processors -- is likely two to three times higher than government numbers suggest, he said.

More here.

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