Millions of Americans are employed in growing, producing, cooking, and serving food. Despite their importance to the economy and to our daily lives, these workers and the hazards they face remain largely invisible. This article addresses food-worker risks and some of the initiatives and innovations involved in reducing them.
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About 8–10 percent of U.S. workers are employed in restaurants. And around one percent of employees work to convert agricultural products into food. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, meat and poultry plants employ the largest percentage of food and beverage manufacturing workers, followed by bakeries, and fruit and vegetable processing plants.
The rate of injury for food production workers is significantly higher than for workers in general industry—about 5 injuries for every 100 full-time food production workers compared with 4.3 injuries per 100 full-time general industry workers. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) estimates that the total estimated direct and indirect cost for food-manufacturing worker injuries exceeds $1.4 billion. Lost time injuries cost an average of $76,000 each.
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