A Labor Department report shows job injury and illness rates remain at all time lows for poultry workers in the United States. The total recordable poultry processing illness and injury rate for 2015 was 4.3 cases per 100 full time workers per year, the same rate as in 2014 and lower than the 2015 rate of 4.7. Minnesota Turkey Grower’s Association Executive Director Steve Olson says the reduction of injuries and the safer work environment is due to a number of factors.

He says training and technology has helped the industry have such a good safety rating.

Olson says their industry is geared toward improving the safety for both the workers and the birds.

The Poultry processing’s 2015 injury and illness rate of 4.3 represents an 81 percent decrease from 1994 when the recorded rate was 22.7. Olson says that proves the enormous progress the industry has made in becoming safer.