Business Notes PENALTIES

In 1906 Upton Sinclair's The Jungle shocked the public with graphic depictions of the squalor in Chicago slaughterhouses. Since then conditions in the U.S. meat-packing industry have improved considerably, but they are still far from ideal. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration last week proposed a record $2.59 million fine against IBP, alleging that in 1985 and 1986 the largest U.S. meat-packer knowingly failed to record 1,038 job-related injuries and illnesses at its Dakota City, Neb., plant. The unreported cases included knife wounds, concussions, burns, hernias, fractures and carpal tunnel syndrome, a painful condition of the wrist and hand often caused by repetitive motion.

The plant is not unique. Between 1981 and 1985 meatpacking had the highest rate of job-related injuries and illnesses of any industry.