Recently, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration published a controversial final rule expanding access for third parties to participate as employee representatives in workplace inspections. The rule could potentially open employers up to third parties that do not necessarily represent employees’ or the government to OSHA’s inspection process and has caused animal food companies some alarm.
My husband and I enjoy watching “Saturday Night Live,” and often, when we can watch it live on Saturday nights, we’re still chuckling about the jokes on Sunday mornings during church (oops!). When I saw that a newfound favorite comedian of mine, Nate Bargatze, and musical guest Foo Fighters, yet another favorite, were headlining Oct. 28, I had to tune in. Just minutes before the show ended, SNL aired a spoof about eating dog food, which moved me to belly laughs.
It’s not an absolute certainty that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) will release a new standard, but all signs seem to be pointing in that direction. OSHA has been working on a proposed standard for quite some time now, and there is evidence the agency may be in the final stages of publicizing a proposed rule.
Today, the American Feed Industry Association released our annual, “Our Industry, Our Promise” report, detailing the operational challenges facing today’s animal feed and pet food manufacturers at the global and international levels. It also discussed the ways the AFIA is addressing those challenges head-on, while laying the groundwork for a prosperous future for our members and association into the future.
Safety has advanced in recent years. Yet, further action must be taken for people to enjoy a workplace as free as possible from hazards. According to data from the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, 2.6 million nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses, and 5,190 fatal work injuries, occurred in the United States in 2021 – an 8% increase from the prior year.
The National Fire Protection Association’s (NFPA) combustible dust standards have been around for a long time. If you have been tasked with managing a manufacturing facility in the animal food industry, you have probably heard of them, but may be confused with how they could apply to your facility.
Labor is top of mind for many of our members and the industry, so we asked three animal food industry experts – all named Julie – for their input on the topic. Julie Zimny is the global human resources leader with Cargill Animal Nutrition; Julie Sexton is the senior vice president and chief human resource officer with Land O’Lakes, Inc. and Julie Coble is the human resources manager with Kent Nutrition. Here is final post of the three-part series.
It is my pleasure to introduce the American Feed Industry Association's inaugural, "Our Industry, Our Promise" report, which provides an overview of the challenges the U.S. animal food industry is currently facing and the ways the association is delivering on its policy priorities on behalf of its 650+ members.
It’s been an interesting first few months with the Biden administration. When President Joe Biden came into office in January, the major issue he faced was our country’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of his priorities were temporarily put on the back burner to allow the administration to focus most of its efforts on the pandemic, which has been ruling the lives of most Americans.
Last fall, we had the opportunity to hear from some of our members about how they adjusted their corporate policies to not only protect the health and safety of their teams throughout the coronavirus pandemic, but also to care for the well-being of their employees. Many industry leaders recognized the exhaustion their employees were experiencing was real, especially as they struggled to deal with many unprecedented challenges simultaneously – from, at times, working overtime to cover for a reduction in staff, to learning how to work remotely, to juggling childcare.