The programme is open to National Chicken Council, National Turkey Federation and US Poultry & Egg Association members with poultry or egg processing plants, hatcheries, feed mills or rendering facilities that have injury and illness rates below the industry average for three consecutive years.

The poultry processing total recordable illness and injury rate for 2010 was 5.9 cases per 100 full-time workers (per year). Poultry processing’s 2010 rate of 5.9 represents a 74 per cent decrease from 1994 (the oldest data available on the US Bureau of Labor Statistics website).

Doug Britton, manager of the Georgia Tech Research Institute's Agricultural Technology Research programme and one of the award programme judges states, "The dramatic reduction in recordable injuries and illnesses is not surprising when you consider the industry's considerable emphasis on complying with safety regulations and its proactive tackling of safety challenges over a long period of time. The industry's efforts have changed the way safety is handled in processing plants today."

Award programme application forms are available on the following link - application. Application forms can also be obtained on the www.uspoultry.org website. The application deadline for the 2012 awards is 1 March. The annual awards will be presented during the National Safety Conference for the Poultry Industry, 6-8 June 2012, at the Sawgrass Marriott, Ponte Vedra, Florida.

The Joint Industry Safety and Health Council are made up of members from the US Poultry & Egg Association, National Chicken Council and National Turkey Federation. Collectively, the three organizations represent 95 per cent of the nation's poultry products and employ hundreds of thousands of workers.