© 2024 Iowa Public Radio
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

The Dangerous Jobs that Bring Us Cheap Meat

Harvest Public Media file photo by Stephanie Paige Ogburn/KUNC

Hundreds of thousands of people go to work each day preparing the beef, pork and poultry that ends up on our dinner tables. Their workplace is among the most dangerous in the United States.

Fatalities are high and life-long injuries are common. Between 2004-2013, 151 meat and poultry workers were killed on the job, according to a recent Government Accountability Office report. The furious pace of production may also contribute to elevated levels of repetitive motion injuries like carpal tunnel syndrome, and affected workers often face a lifetime of pain.

Slaughterhouses – while safer than they were decades ago – exact a steep price from workers, sometimes even their lives.

Watch the video below to learn more.