Meat & Poultry -- December 2013 - 64

Hazardous
duty

be familiar with the many hazards of the
equipment and the environment in which
they work, which is another reason that
training is essential.
The daily sanitation or clean-up crew

by kimberlie Clyma

has the responsibility of cleaning all prod-

kclyma@sosland.com

uct contact surfaces throughout the plant
to comply with US Dept. of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service requirements.
When the sanitation crew has to remove guards or components to effectively

Sanitation workers face a
number of dangers in the
line of duty

clean processing equipment, the equipment must be isolated from its energy source(s), and the energy isolation
devices must be locked out or tagged out. In some situations, the equipment must be turned back on for a limited period of time for testing or repositioning. During the
testing or positioning period, a sequence of steps must be
followed to maintain the employee's protection. Once the

he US Dept. of Labor's Occupational Health and

testing/positioning activity is completed, the equipment

Safety Administration's (OSHA) mission is to keep

again must be de-energized and locked or tagged out be-

workers as safe as possible in all types of work environ-

fore undertaking further cleaning activities.

ments. In order to assist with this challenge, OSHA has

An additional condition that may contribute to the

developed a wide variety of guidelines to help employees

hazardous nature of the work is that the crew may receive

stay safe while performing various jobs.

eight hours of pay regardless of how early they finish the

OSHA's "Poultry Processing Industry eTool", found
on its website at http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/etools/poultry, outlines potential hazards throughout poultry pro-

job. This gives them an incentive to work as fast as possible and may even contribute to taking short-cuts.
Some of the safety and health hazards that sanitation

cessing plants and makes suggestions about how they

workers are exposed to throughout the plant include:

can be controlled.

-Cuts, lacerations and amputations when removing blades

According to OSHA, the job of a sanitation worker is

from equipment.

one of the most hazardous jobs in the poultry-processing

-Being struck by, struck against or caught in equipment, such

industry. Whether the sanitation workers are part of a

as chiller paddles, or when climbing over or under equipment.

regular production shift or part of a special sanitation or

-Slips, trips and falls in which strains, sprains, and/or frac-

cleaning crew, they need extensive training.

tures may result.

The focus of sanitation workers who work a regular

-Electric shock.

production shift is cleaning the machinery and floors.

-Chemical hazards, such as cleaners, can cause skin or eye

They move product to allow cleaning and use high-pres-

irritation or burns. ■

sure water hoses and squeegees to clean the floors. This
type of job is frequently an entry-level position. Workers
who hold these jobs do not have the experience needed to

* Meat&Poultry * December 2013 * www.MeatPoultry.com

M&P's Sanitation Tips are to be used only as guidelines for cleaning
and sanitizing processing facilities. Specific issues and questions
should be addressed by a sanitation crew supervisor.

https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/etools/poultry/index.html http://www.MeatPoultry.com

Meat & Poultry -- December 2013

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Meat & Poultry -- December 2013