Manual handling solutions in poultry processing

Powered stabilizers may pose a crush hazard if a person or a part of them is underneath at the time of lowering.

Use a stabilizing system with an automated roof that lowers and secures the cages. An older system relies on ratchet type strapping that is thrown overhead and over the trailer. This can potentially strike a person on the other side.

Often there are 2 forklift drivers and they operate independently on 2 trailers to load or unload. The need to do tasks such as cleaning up will result in one getting off their forklift while the other forklift is still operating.

Employees in these workplaces are divided into the 'Dirties' and the 'Cleans' depending on where along the process line they are located. There are very strict guidelines in place due to food handling and processing that helps to make sure these groups are kept separated. This may result in the need for one of these groups to enter and travel through a powered mobile plant (PMP) operating area to access their amenities, creating a situation of pedestrian and PMP interaction that will need to be controlled.

Part 3.5—Plant of the OHS Regulations requires employers and self-employed persons to control the interaction of pedestrians and powered mobile plant by, among other things, fitting warning devices on plant that might collide with pedestrians. Employers must also ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that people are separated from mobile plant through physical barriers, traffic management plans, high-visibility clothing, and the use of warning devices such as alarms, cameras, and proximity sensors to prevent collisions.

Use mobile plant with ergonomic design features, such as 

• motorised winder
• removal of excess waste
• fixed ladders and platforms for trailer ascent and descent.

Separate pedestrians from forklifts and other mobile plant.

For example use:

• raised walkways, gates or barrier railings
• designating pedestrian exclusion zones
• pre-start inspection
• periodical re-training of drivers and pedestrian employees
• prime mover fitted with reverse beepers
• prime mover fitted with hydraulic turntable
• preventative maintenance checks of reverse beepers to alert pedestrians that mobile plant is reversing.

Figure 1: Barrier railing.

Figure 2: A clearly marked pedestrian walkway.

Lifting crates and draws manually from below knee height including:

• bending the back more than 20 degrees
• twisting the back more than 20 degrees
• lifting or lowering.

Lifting crates or draws to or from above shoulder height including:

• lifting and lowering or carrying heavy loads
• more than 2 hours over whole shift
• pushing, pulling or dragging.

Other high risk activities include:

• pushing, pulling or dragging crates and draws when re-loading onto pallets and modules
• bending the back more than 20 degrees while washing pallets and modules
• washing pallets and modules manually can also result in slips, trips and falls.

Figure 3: Diagram shows low, medium and high risk lifting zones in relation to the body.

Use mechanical lifting aids. For example, a scissor lift, that enables an employee to manually handle crates and draws at waist height.

Figure 4: Using a scissor lift for crate removal.

Use a partially automated system for the delivery of full crates and draws from pallets or modules.

Manage the risk of slips, trips and falls with adequate drainage to avoid pooling of water. 

Remove excess waste to control the risk of falls from slips, as far as practical.

Rotate employees to other work tasks that use different muscle groups.

Use a fully-automated system for crate delivery to hanging area. This eliminates the work of manually handling crates up to the hanging area.

Figure 5: Automated system for crate delivery.

Use a fully-automated system for washing modules, crates and draws.

Use a fully-automated system for loading empty crates and draws back onto pallets.

Figure 6: An automated washing and crate handling solution.

It can be difficult for employees to access birds directly, if the work is designed in a way that creates a need for employees to reach:

• downward into crates or draws to retrieve birds
• forward to place bird onto shackle line.

Hazardous manual handling movements include:

• excessive bending of the wrist
• holding supporting or restraining any object, person or animal
• reaching forwards or sideways more than 30 cm from the body
• lifting above shoulder height.

The risk of MSDs are increased when these movements are done:

• more than twice per minute
• more than 2 hours over the whole shift.

Employees are required to hang birds to the shackle line speed. These speeds vary and are set as per production requirements. These can be as low as 10 birds per minute but as high as 160 birds per minute for 7 hangers on small birds.

Other hazards include:

• standing for long periods while hanging birds
• working in humid and high temperature conditions
• poor air quality due to dust, dirt and feathers in hanging areas
• exposure to biological diseases
• psychosocial. 

• Raise the position of the crate and draw conveyor height to reduce the need for employee to reach downward.
• Minimise the distances that the employee has to reach to the shackle line.
• Use a rotation system to other work to use different muscle groups.
• Anti-fatigue matting to reduce lower limb discomfort.
• Change production start time on hot days.

Wear personnel protective equipment (PPE). For example,

• masks
• gloves
• hair nets
• plastic aprons.

Reduce heat stress by:

• changing shift start times on hot days
• increasing air movement, or general ventilation
• using local exhaust ventilation to remove heat and water vapour from processes
• reducing the amount of clothing worn
• making the work tasks less strenuous and/or reducing the pace of the task (to lower metabolic rate).

Use an automated system that has no crates or draws.

Fixed hours for hanging birds — employers should consult with employees on appropriate hours, considering the line speeds, (or the lack of), mini breaks and the effects of employee absenteeism have on rotation systems.

In addition to the controls described in Reduced risk solutions, consider:

• reducing the air temperature by evaporative or refrigerated cooling of the air (spot air conditioning may be a more cost effective alternative in large spaces)
• ensuring the airflow direction in the design of ventilation system to draw in outside fresh air and also prevent migration of airborne contamination in the dirty areas of the plant from reaching clean areas of the plant. For example, packing areas
• automated dust extraction system for maintaining good air quality for employees.

Standing for long periods and repetitive movements when cutting birds.

Repetitive manual handling:

• more than twice per minute
• more than 2 hours over the whole shift.

Using a knife to make manual incisions, may result in cuts, lacerations and burns from hot water.

Re-positioning one-legged birds into shackles puts employee at risk of entanglement with the shackle line.

Use anti-fatigue matting which may improve blood circulation in the body, reducing fatigue and reducing the impact on employees’ lower joints.

Cuts to birds should be made at employees mid chest-height and with minimal need for reaching. Adjust the shackle line to the height needed for the specific cut.

Employees making incisions should wear cut-resistant gloves to protect their hands.

Employers should provide adequate cut resistance gloves with an option that avoids latex reaction, for example.

Figure 8: Cut-resistant glove.

Position the knife blade steriliser with overflow for catchment of excess water within an accessible zone to reduce overreaching.

• Install fixed sit stand stools.
• Cuts performed at employee mid chest-height and with minimal reaching.
• Use start-up sirens to alert employees of impending shackle line start-up and movement.
• Use gauntlet or arm guard for added protection.
• Provide a face shield to protect employee’s neck area from splattering blood.
• Provide emergency stop lanyards or buttons along shackle line in case of entanglement.
• Install fixed guarding surrounding automatic killer blade.
• Provide emergency stop with brake for automatic killer blade.

Figure 9: Fixed guarding surrounding automatic killer blade.

Changing machine settings to suit bird sizes and retrieving birds that have fallen from shackle line can result in entanglement, entrapment and shearing.

Risk of hand injuries from prolonged use of scissors when manually cutting feet off birds that weren't picked by the machine.

The wet floor of the evisceration area can result in slips, trips and falls.

• Install fixed guarding for evisceration machinery and offal harvesting equipment.
• Ensure that adjustment controls are outside the plant guarding.
• Fit interlocks to removable guarding.
• Anti-fatigue matting where employees stand for prolonged periods.
• Ensure floors are coated with a non-slip surface.
• Provide good drainage to prevent water from pooling on floors.

Figure 11: Fixed guarding to prevent access.

Figure 12: Waste pipe directed to drain.

• Use automated evisceration equipment.
• Physically separate automated evisceration equipment from employees.
• Use start-up sirens to alert employees of impending shackle line movement.
• Provide emergency stop lanyards or buttons along shackle line and plant in case of entanglement.
• Ensure floors are non-slip.
• Minimise the need for forward and high reaching by employees by reducing the distance between employees and the shackle lines.

Figure 13: Good work design to reduce over-reaching movements.

Bagged ice is manually emptied directly into spin chillers, presenting hazards including:

• lifting or lowering
• awkward postures such as
  • bending the back more than 20 degrees
  • reaching forwards or sideways more than 30 cm from the body.

Manually directing ice to screw conveyor or auger by shovelling or raking.  Reaching to undertake this work can result in forward bending of the back more than 20 degrees.  Further hazards could involve entanglement, entrapment or shearing.

Dry ice is also used in poultry processing, for example in direct steam injection. Employees use scoops on the dry ice and then walk it over to the product, crossing the paths of other employees in the process. Visors can fog-up and limit employee’s vision to perform tasks safely.

Install a conveyor or chutes to direct the ice into spin chillers and trolleys.

Install machine guarding to prevent access to exposed augers.

Position the machine operator at a safe distance and enable direct ice to auger using a conveyor or chute.

• Use automated screw conveyors that transfer ice directly into spin chillers.
• Eliminate spin chillers using air chill to keep birds at required temperatures.

• Hanging birds from conveyor to air chill or weigh line.
• Inspection and grading.

Hazards include standing for long periods and repetitive manual handling, for example:

• twice per minute
• more than 2 hours over the whole shift
• excessive bending of the wrist
• reaching forwards or sideways more than 30 cm from the body
• overhead reaching.

• Diverter bars to push product towards operator.
• Minimise reaches by reducing the distance between conveyor and weigh line.
• Reduce width of conveyor to minimise forward reaches.
• Rotation system to other work that use different muscle groups.
• Anti-fatigue matting.
• Adjustable height stands.

Presenting product to operators with minimal reaching.

Figure 15: Good work design provides comfortable reach distances.

Reaching into bins to retrieve birds is highly repetitive work that involves hazardous manual handling, including:

• excessive bending of the wrist
• bending the back forwards more than 20 degrees
• twisting the back more than 20 degrees
• reaching forwards or sideways more than 30 cm from the body
• more than twice per minute
• more than 2 hours over the whole shift

Placing bagged birds into boxes or crates is hazardous, where reaching forwards or sideways more than 30 cm from the body may be involved.

Placing packed boxes or crates onto pallets may involve:

• bending the back forwards more than 20 degrees
• reaching forwards or sideways more than 30 cm from the body
• lifting or lowering.

Minimise forward reaches using bin tilters to present birds closer to the employee.

Use an angled chute and gravity to push the birds into bags.

Figure 16: Bagging birds using a chute.

Minimise reaches with height-adjustable workstations.

Figure 17 Employee using a height-adjustable workstation.

Use conveyors or lifting aids.

Use a work rotation system to allow employees to use different muscle groups.

Use a solution that drops portions or pushes birds through a chute and into the bag. This eliminates the need for forceful pushing by employee.

Figure 18: A solution that drops portions or pushes the bird into a bag.

Use fully-automated bagging machines that automatically bag, clip and tie birds.

Figure 19: Fully-automated bagging machines.

Use conveyors with angled slides to eliminate the need for lifting tubs onto the conveyor.

Figure 20 A conveyor using a diverter to manage chicken portions.

Using a bandsaw to section a bird involves hazardous manual handling including:

• bending the back forwards more than 20 degrees
• reaching forwards or sideways more than 30 cm from the body.

Using a bandsaw also puts the employee at risk of:

• cuts
• lacerations
• burns
• entanglement
• entrapment
• shearing.

Retrieving product to be cut up can also involve excessive bending of the wrist.

Similar to most poultry processing work, these activities are highly repetitive and involve long duration. They are undertaken for:

• more than twice per minute
• more than 2 hours during whole shift.

Ensure that employees who cut up portions are fully trained in the use of saws for this work.

Figure 22: Only fully trained and competent employees are to use split bird saws.

Ensure a warning device, for example, a red light, is installed to alert the operator when the saw is on and running.

Use PPE such as:

• chain mesh gloves, combined with rubber and cotton suited to individual preference
• safety glasses
• hearing protection
• non-slip footwear.

While using any saw, employees need to be 100% focused on their work.

Physically separate the cutting area from other process areas with barricades, fencing and similar methods of isolation from any distractions.

Use a fully-automated portion cutting system that removes the need for all manual cutting.

The fully-automated portion cutting system often cannot keep up with full production rate — kill rate is much higher than the capacity for processing by the various systems. There will always be a need for manual processing in order to keep up. The typical administrative controls and PPE for knife use will still be required.

Figure 23: An automated processing line.

Use a fully-fenced or guarded area to eliminate pedestrian access.

Figure 24: Guarding systems are used to prevent access to danger zones.

Ensure that the emergency stop is fitted within easy reach for use by employees.

Ensure that a blade brake and/or an interlocked pressure mat is fitted in front of the cut-up saw.

Pulling skin and removing the wishbone from carcass involves repetitive manual handling:

• more than twice per minute
• more than 2 hours over the whole shift
• pushing, pulling or dragging
• excessive bending of the wrist.

Employees are at risk of cuts and lacerations when:

• cutting fillets from the barrel
• inspecting and trimming fillets.

Emptying waste tubs and crates can present hazards including:

• slips, trips and falls
• lifting and lowering or carrying heavy loads
• bending the back forwards more than 20 degrees.

• Use height adjustable tables and workstations.
• Use platform stands where necessary.
• Lower shackle line to minimise reaches.
• Wear mesh gloves when using a knife to prevent cuts and lacerations.
• Use appropriate sharp knives and scissors for the work.
• Provide knife sharpening equipment and training and supervision for its correct use.
• Remove damaged knifes from service.
• Use a rotation system to other work that use different muscle groups.

Figure 26: Employees at a boning line.

When emptying waste tubs and crates:

• frequently do housekeeping to remove excess skin and fat from flooring
• wear non-slip footwear
• ensure 2 persons lift tubs and crates
• consider having a weight limit for crates, or use smaller crates and fill the tubs on scales, so that weights can be monitored.

Figure 27: Employees at a de-boning line.

• Use an automated de-skinning machine.
• Use ergonomically designed workstations with adjustable height and reach spans.
• Use diverter bars to push product closer to employees to minimise reaches.
• Install a footrest bar in front of operators to allow posture shift, which helps to reduce pressure on the lower back.
• Set a maximum time for de-boning work. For example, 4 hours.
• Use conveyors to remove skin, trimming waste and carcasses.
• Lifting aids for handling tubs and crates of product.