Nearly half of NYC’s food manufacturing workers hurt on the job: report

New York – A new report claims 42 percent of workers surveyed in New York City’s food manufacturing industry have been injured on the job.

Released June 24 and authored by the legal nonprofit organization Urban Justice Center’s Community Development Project and advocacy group Brandworkers, Feeding New York used data from 106 surveys of workers in New York’s food processing and distribution sectors. The report states that 56.7 percent of the workers never received safety and health training.

Of the workers injured, more than 1 out of 10 reported that their employer required them to perform a risky task, while 15.1 percent slipped or fell, 14.2 percent were cut, 11.3 percent suffered from headaches and 10.4 percent had a back injury. Additionally, 43.5 percent of workers who reported an injury did not receive free medical care from their employer.

New York City employs more than 14,000 food manufacturing workers – 70 percent of which are immigrants and 64 percent who have only a high school diploma or less education, according to the report.