Addressing work-related musculoskeletal disorders in the Queensland poultry meat processing industry: a company’s journey to identify an optimal injury and disability prevention program

Abstract

Poultry meat processing is considered a high-risk occupation both internationally and within Australia. Despite recent developments in process automation, poultry processing is still labour-intensive. The state of Queensland, Australia, processes 20% of the national chicken meat. Workers in this industry suffer significantly greater rates of serious workplace injury compared to other food production and manufacturing occupations, and the state-wide average. While these rates have reduced over the last decade, there still remains a significant burden to workers, employers and insurers associated with these injuries. Of these poultry processing workplace injuries in Queensland, work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) make up approximately 70% of the annual accepted compensated claims.Risk factors for WMSDs are multifactorial and include the physical, psychosocial and organisational. A review of the literature as part of this thesis identified evidence for a coordinated approach to injury prevention and workplace-based disability management. However, it has also unearthed limited research into WMSDs in poultry processing, both in terms of risk factors for injury and interventions applicable, with most research to date conducted in America and Europe. Contextually, there are operational and production differences of poultry processing compared to other manufacturing occupations. In addition, Australian workplaces operate within a different legislative and regulatory context compared to international jurisdictions. Even within Australia, there is variation in workers’ compensation legislation between states.To address the limited body of evidence, five research studies were conducted using data from a large Queensland poultry meat processor (workforce ~1200) and the Queensland Workers’ Compensation Regulator (QWCR). The objective of this thesis was to identify the effectiveness of a pragmatic workplace-based injury prevention intervention upon WMSDs within one large Queensland poultry meat processing plant and to explore the contributing organisational factors. Informed by these studies, a guidance resource was developed in collaboration with the Queensland safety regulator, Workplace Health and Safety Queensland (WHSQ), to disseminate the results across Queensland’s poultry and manufacturing industries.Study 1 (manuscript 1) explored the effectiveness of an early intervention and injury prevention program (IPP) at the Queensland poultry meat processor. The intervention was coordinated by an onsite multidisciplinary team, and consisted of early reporting of safety and injury concerns by the workers, which triggered early ergonomic and injury management strategies. The study used a pre-post design which showed that over a two-year period, the IPP significantly reduced injury rates, claim costs and the duration of work absence compared to the pre-intervention (baseline) period, and compared to a quasi-control of other poultry processors in Queensland.Study 2 (manuscript 2) examined the impact of removing the onsite physiotherapy service which was part of the initial IPP. The results showed that once the IPP was embedded within the poultry meat processor, the reduction in compensation claim rates and costs could be sustained without the ongoing need for an onsite physiotherapy service.Study 3 (manuscript 3) validated a tool to assess organisational policies and practices (OPP) that potentially influence injury and workers’ compensation outcomes in the poultry processor. This study utilised exploratory factor analysis with survey data collected from the processor workforce and identified three distinct organisational domains: safety climate, disability management practices, and labour management practices.Study 4 (manuscript 4) used multivariable regression analyses to identify associations between these three organisational domains, in addition to individual and occupational factors, and their work injury history. Of particular interest was the strong negative association between the safety climate and disability management domains, work injury, and the work zone in which the employee operated. Work zones with weaker domain responses were associated with more injuries than those with stronger domain responses. Unique organisational work-zone microclimates within the processor were identified.Study 5 (manuscript 5) built on the results from Study 4. Through a secondary analysis of the poultry meat processor’s workers’ compensation database, associations between work zones and compensation outcomes were explored. Work zones which identified poorer domain climates and higher injury rates in Study 4 also revealed higher compensation claims costs.Informed by the Knowledge to Action (KTA) framework, a guidance resource was developed in partnership with WHSQ to disseminate the results of this research and best practice principles to the poultry meat industry and broader manufacturing industry. This endorsed resource was developed in a format suitable for employers, with an aim to facilitate continual improvement in work injury prevention and disability management in these industries.This thesis provides important insights into work injury and disability within the unique occupational context of Queensland poultry meat processing. It has identified both a successful early intervention program to reduce injury rates, claim costs and duration of work absence from injury, and a tool to identify organisational microclimates within a processor’s workplace. The findings from this research may apply to other labour-intensive industries with further investigation warranted, along with a deeper understanding of the role of key stakeholders such as supervisors for injury prevention and disability management.