Oklahoma is one of four big chicken-producing states targeted in a federal effort to improve worker safety.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has launched a year-long program to teach employers in Oklahoma, Texas, Louisiana and Arkansas health and safety standards and make sure they follow them.
Area Director David Bates said workers processing chickens are twice as likely to be hurt on the job and six times as likely to suffer a work-related illness as other workers.
"There are a number of muscoloskeletal injuries due to repetitive motion issues in the deboning and the complete processing of getting a chicken to the grocery store," Bates said.
Chicken processors face a lot of hazards on the job, including some of the chemicals they use to sanitize equipment.
"They use anhydrous ammonia for refrigeration, so there are certain safety and health issues related to those chemicals," Bates said.
The year-long program switches from educating employers to enforcement in three months.
Oklahoma is the nation’s 10th-largest chicken producer with more than 1 billion pounds last year.
