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Premium Standard Farms (PSF) Employees Stretch Their Bodies and Their Minds
Work-N-Stretch
In May, PSF Missouri operations adopted an injury prevention program modeled after one used by the Murphy-Brown Texhoma operations. The program is called "Work-N-Stretch." A group from Texhoma briefed managers on their program and the success they have achieved in preventing certain types of injuries. As a result, the Missouri production group set a goal is to reduce injuries related to strains or sprains by at least 50 percent in FY09.
Employees get together as a group prior to beginning their daily tasks and perform specific stretching exercises. They also use this time to discuss the tasks planned for the day and review safety concerns associated with those tasks including discussion of "near-miss" situations that were noticed the prior work day. Loss Control Manager David Taylor said: "the feedback we have received so far is positive. Employees don’t seem to mind the morning exercises and a lot of them enjoy it that time of the day." Terre Haute 14 Sow Farm Manager, Justin Simmons, said their group uses the time to do their planning for the day but also have fun with the program. "We mix up the routine each week to keep it fresh," says Justin. "A benefit I am glad to observe is we are livelier and alert which has led to better communication among our group."
In Missouri, production operations and land resources participate in the program. In Texas, sow operations participate.
LEADR
A group of PSF and Farmland Foods employees took part in a LEADR training session in July. LEADR is an acronym that stands for Legislative Education Action Development Resources. One of the goals of the LEADR program is to train producers on how to interact with their legislators through visits, phone calls and email. LEADR participants are trained, including through role-playing, to be able to communicate an issue while sharing their personal story of working in the pork industry.
Contact Gordon Becton at gordon.becton@psfarms.com for more information about the program.