9 Health & Safety Statistics Food and Beverage Companies Need to Know

The quality and safety of the food we eat is in the hands of millions of dedicated and skilled workers at food and beverage companies across the world. The key to maintaining that food quality and safety is ensuring workers have the environmental, health and safety (EHS) training, tools, and support they need to feel and perform work safely.

To give workers this support, food and beverage companies need to understand the attitudes, motivations and workplace perceptions of their workers. This knowledge and understanding allow you to craft EHS processes and programs that workers can get on board with.

Below are nine EHS statistics that food and beverage companies can use to guide their EHS program strategy:

1. 24% of food workers have been injured at their current job, and 17% of workers were injured in their first year. 
2. 42% of workers rarely or never receive coaching from their manager or supervisor, and 20% said they received too little training before starting their job. 
3. 37% of workers and 43% of supervisors agree that training is sometimes too complicated or difficult to understand. 
4. 75% of employees say that feeling personally safe and secure in the workplace is important to them. 72% also say they’re largely unaware of their company’s EHS function. 
5. 89% of illness outbreaks at restaurants are caused by food contamination by workers. 
6. Studies show that for every $1 spent on safety programs, $5 is saved in accident avoidance and other related savings. 
7. Food manufacturing workers have a 60% higher rate of occupational injury and illness than workers in other industries. The risk of occupational death is 9.5 times higher for food industry workers than in non-food jobs. 
8. Severe injuries that required time off work are more than twice as frequent among food manufacturing workers.
9. Researchers found that injuries from slips, trips and falls were highest in food processing, storage and retail.

For more food and beverage industry news and EHS and sustainability tips, check out the Antea Group blog.

Sign up for our monthly e-newsletter, The New Leaf. Our goal is to keep you updated, educated and even a bit entertained as it relates to all things EHS and sustainability.