10/22/2025: Swine Processing and Worker Health: Results from the PULSE Study

Recorded on Wednesday, October 22nd, 2025

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Swine Processing and Worker Health: Results from the PULSE Study

About the webinar:

The PULSE Swine Study evaluated 587 workers across 6 plants in 2024 using a within subjects study design to understand how the speed of swine processing affects workers’ risk of muscle and joint problems. 46% of evaluated workers were found to be at high risk of developing musculoskeletal disorders. One establishment had a statistically significant increase in MSD hazard with increasing evisceration line speed while another establishment had a statistically significant decrease in MSD hazard with increasing evisceration line speed, with the other four having non- statistically significant changes in MSD hazard.

Learning Objectives

At the completion of this activity, the learner will be able to:

  • Identify how worker speed in swine processing contributes to musculoskeletal disorder (MSD) risk

  • Explain why the rate of swine parts handled per worker is a stronger predictor of injury risk than the overall line speed, and how associations varied by establishment

  • Discuss recommended interventions, such as staff increases and task adjustments, that can reduce musculoskeletal hazards

Speaker: Carisa Harris, PhD, CPE

Carisa Harris, PhD, CPE is Professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of California at San Francisco, and in the School of Public Health at the University of California at Berkeley. She is also the Director of the UCSF/UCB Ergonomics Research & Graduate Training Program and the Director of the Northern California Center of Occupational & Environmental Health (COEH).

ACCREDITATION

The Center for Occupational and Environmental Health designates this activity for a maximum of 1.0 Contact Hour. Participants should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation.

Certificates of Completion

Certificates of Completion will be available to webinar participants who are present for the complete, live webinar, and logged in with their registered email address. Call-in attendees are not eligible for certificates at this time - Please download the Zoom app to log in via email on your smartphone whenever possible.

In order to receive your Certificate of Completion, qualified learners must complete the post-webinar evaluation within 7 days of the webinar. A link to the evaluation will be emailed to qualified learners 24 hours after the webinar via no-reply@zoom.us. Qualified learners who submit their evaluation will receive a Certificate of Completion via email, and can also print/save the certificate from their browser after submitting their evaluation.

If you're not able to attend the live presentation, no problem! We record most presentations and will host them on our website provided we have permission to do so. Presentation recordings are not eligible for Certificates of Completion.

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ABOUT The Northern California Education and Research Center

The goal of the Northern California ERC, a consortium of programs at the University of California’s Center of Occupational and Environmental Health, is to train professionals as practitioner and research leaders in occupational safety and health by offering graduate degrees, residency training, clinical experiences, and research mentorship to trainees. The aim of the ERC is to provide a broad, multidisciplinary educational experience involving student and faculty collaborations in the classroom, laboratory, and field.  Through academic training, research, and community service projects, our faculty and trainees address ongoing and emerging challenges facing US Workers.  Activities are grounded in multi-campus, interactive teaching programs that translate knowledge into information that can be used to improve worker safety and health. 

ACCESSIBILITY:

If you require an accommodation for effective communication (ASL interpreting/CART captioning, alternative media formats, etc.) to fully participate in this event, please contact Michelle Meyer at (510) 642-8365 or mmeyer@berkeley.edu(link sends e-mail) with as much advance notice as possible and at least 7-10 days in advance of the event.