On physiological demands and sustainability in meat cutting

Abstract

Meat cutters' work has been investigated by several researchers. However, knowledge about the physiological demands of meat cutting is almost lacking. The aim of this explorative study was to assess physiological demands in meat cutting, to compare them with International Labour Organization (ILO) recommendations for acceptable workload and to discuss the findings in relation to individual and work-related factors. In accordance with the ILO recommendations, work was categorised as sustainable or non-sustainable based on critical relative aerobic strain (RAS) levels. Twenty-one beef and pork cutters participated in the study, which included workload measurements, assessment of workplace and individual factors. Thirteen meat cutters were categorised as having non-sustainable and eight as having sustainable work. Results suggest that the workload is higher in beef cutting than in pork cutting, and that longer work experience is related to lower RAS. Other factors contributing to the physical workload are discussed.

Practitioner Summary: Meat-cutting work may exceed recommended physical workload levels. Beef cutting is physically more demanding than pork cutting. Furthermore, factors such as years in the profession, knife sharpness, work pace, wage system, working technique, maximum oxygen uptake level and muscular strength should be considered when planning actions regarding the workload for meat cutters.

Keywords::

• RAS
• heart rate
• workload
• MSDs
• oxygen consumption

Acknowledgements

Thanks to all participants and the three plants included for their willingness to share their experiences and working days, making this study possible. Financial support from the Swedish Labour Market Insurance [grant number 12058] (AFA) is gratefully acknowledged. Maria Bergstrand made contributions with the data collection process and Sven-Göran Eriksson is acknowledged for his help with statistical analyses and calculations. But most of all, many thanks go to Inga-Lill Engkvist for her support of the study and valuable comments on the draft manuscripts of this paper.