New guidance aims to cut injury

The HSE/Meat Trades Joint Working Party (JWP) has completed its revision of the Meat Industry Health and Safety Guidance Notes.
The revised Guidance includes three new notes, which cover:
•    Working at Height within the Meat Industry (GN 1-38)
•    Work-Related Upper Limb Disorders (GN 1-39)
•    Zoonotic Hazards for Workers in Pig Abattoirs (GN 3-38)

The revised document can be found on the British Meat Processors Association website, www.bmpa.uk.com, and the purpose of the Guidance Notes is to assist slaughterers, processors and manufacturers in meeting their health and safety legal requirements.  

In a typical year the meat industry reports 170 major injuries and 1,000 other reportable injuries to their employees.  

To help duty holders and employers in the meat industry benchmark their own performance – not only for reportable injuries, but also other incidents – the BMPA, supported by the JWP and funded by the MTC, will shortly relaunch its updated accident statistics portal on the BMPA website, which should help to provide a more accurate picture, and is hoping that companies will make good use of the facility.

Janet Lim, from the BMPA, said: “The JWP draws particular attention to the revision of Guidance Note GN 2-35 Safety when Handling Cattle in Slaughterhouses. Many thousands of cattle are processed each year and the risks arising from their interaction with humans remains ever-present.

“Good health and safety management systems really add benefit. We also remind industry of the poster ‘Cattle can kill’ – don’t let it be you’ which can be downloaded free from the BMPA website.”

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