WASHINGTON — Through a joint alliance with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the National Chicken Council and the National Turkey Federation are making available pre-purchase and pre-startup equipment safety checklists to minimize injuries due to machine hazards in the workplace.

Designed to help poultry companies address critical safety issues prior to purchasing new equipment and prior to installing and starting up new equipment, the checklists were developed by the joint N.C.C. and N.T.F. Safety and Health Committee. The checklists can also be used to perform safety assessments on currently installed equipment.

Safety considerations relating to equipment guarding; design and engineering; energy control; ergonomics; training; ingress/egress; ventilation; hazard communication; personal protective equipment; confined space plus hazardous locations; fall protection; and process safety management are all addressed by the check list.