Want to experience carpal tunnel syndrome? Go to work for a poultry processing plant. A study by the National Instititue for Occupational Safety and Health ( NIOSH) found “an alarming prevalence of carpal tunnel syndrome” among the workers.
NIOSH researchers visited a South Carolina plant three times in 2012 and 2013 and found that 42% of the employees who participated in their evaluation had carpal tunnel syndrome. And 41% worked in jobs involving force above the limits recommended for minimising the risk of carpel tunnel syndrome .
Workers in poultry processing plants operate evisceration lines operating at from 90 to 175 birds per minute. NIOSH found that 57% of the participants reported at least one musculoskeletal symptom (not including hand or wrist symptoms) at both baseline and follow-up evaluations. The most common work-related injuries were cuts, punctures and scrapes; repetitive motion; slips, trips and falls; and being caught in or under equipment.
