Presentation by Ron Gillespie, Farmland Foods, Inc.
DR. ORTA-ANES: Our first speaker is Ron Gillespie. Ron is a Director of the Safety and Employee Relations Department at Farmland Foods in Kansas City, Missouri. He is a professional member of the American Society of Safety Engineers, and I hope that you will join me in welcoming Ron.
MR. GILLESPIE: Good morning. I see so many familiar faces in the audience that I am beginning to believe that we are preaching to the choir. My role today is relatively quick and easy. I am Director of Safety and Employee Relations for Farmland Foods in Kansas City, Missouri. Farmland Foods is a division of Farmland Industries, the country's largest farmer owned agri-business cooperative. It consists of 11 plants in seven states and 7,000 employees, all engaged in the slaughter and further process of pork products.
I am curious, and I am going to pull away from my prepared notes. By show of hands, I would like to see in the audience how many of you have ergonomic programs presently in place in your company? (About 1/2 hands.) That is amazing. That is amazing and gratifying.
My role today is to identify the issues leading up to our company's decision to recognize the need to implement a successful ergonomics program and the positive results that have come from that program. The UFCW in the late 1980's consciously adopted a strategy of going to the public with tales of falling wages, increasing line speeds and an alarming increase in the frequency of in-plant accidents and disabilities. When a lengthy series of strikes failed to reverse their fortunes, the union sought out a sympathetic forum in the media lead by a local newspaper, The Chicago Tribune, the front page series charging red meat packers with allowing "thousands of workers to suffer crippling injuries as they process cattle at relentless speeds." Nationally, public attention was focused on the irresponsible and uncaring meat industry.
When that happened OSHA stepped in, and a way to guarantee to get most companies attention, they proposed a $3.1 million fine against one large packer in May of 1987. It followed in approximately 18 months a proposed $1.3 million fine against another large meat processing company. Finally, OSHA proposed what is known now as the Ergonomics Program Management Guidelines for Meatpacking Plants. OSHA stated in this document it is essential that workers or employees in Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) Code 2011, which is the meat packing industry, and related industries adopt an appropriately comprehensive program.
Why did Farmland adopt these guidelines? Basically, because the proposed guidelines should be made, not just for the meat packing industry but for all industries. They should not be made because of union or media pressure but because it is appropriate and morally correct. There is no profit, financial or otherwise, in maintaining a process that harms the health of both the work force and the bottom line. Working people outside their capabilities, like any other machine, will cause breakdown.
Those of you that have experienced the repetitive motion disorders, those of you in the audience that have worked in the meat and poultry industry recognize it is very difficult work. It would be nice if they produced hogs or cattle that would fit automation. They do not.
