According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,“agriculture ranks among the most hazardous industries. Farmers are at high risk for fatal and nonfatal injuries, work-related lung diseases, noise-induced hearing loss, skin diseases, and certain cancers associated with chemical use and prolonged sun exposure.”

A 2005 Human Rights Watch report, "Blood, Sweat and Fear Workers' Rights in U.S. Meat and Poultry Plants*," called the meatpacking industry the most dangerous industry in America. Workers often are reluctant to report abuses because of immigration status and fear of losing their jobs, said Lance Compa, the report's author.

According to statistics from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, nearly one in three slaughterhouse workers suffers from illness or injury every year, compared to one in 10 workers in other manufacturing jobs.

Large hog farms emit hydrogen sulfide, a gas that most often causes flu-like symptoms in humans, but at high concentrations can lead to brain damage. In 1998, the National Institute of Health reported that 19 people died as a result of hydrogen sulfide emissions from manure pits.

Approximately 160 different gases have been identified in the ambient air of animal confinement barns. Chronic bronchitis is a common complaint in swine confinement workers. A large number of the workers have intermittent symptoms suggesting the presence of acute bronchitis.

A surplus of cheap and often undocumented labor has led to a reduction in wages. Between 1989 and 1998, the average inflation-adjusted wage of farm workers in the United States fell from $6.89 to $6.18.

The industry has refused to do what would be necessary to create safe working conditions for its employees, such as slowing down the lines or buying appropriate safety gear, because these changes could cut into companies’ bottom lines.

*http://hrw.org/reports/2005/usa0105/