USDA To Consult OSHA On Union-Opposed Poultry Line Rule; NIOSH Studies Issue

The Department of Agriculture (USDA) says it will consult with OSHA, and also factor in data it has asked NIOSH to collect, when it implements an upcoming rule that unions say could lead to increased ergonomic, laceration and amputation hazards faced by poultry workers by allowing for increased poultry line speeds. NIOSH says it has agreed to conduct a health hazard evaluation (HHE) at a South Carolina poultry plant to study concerns related to line speeds, but unions are pressing for a much larger research project dedicated to the issue. The planned rule, by the department's Food Safety Inspe