Slaughterhouses Often Face Meager Safety Violations, Critics Say

By Luke Runyon

Published August 10, 2016 at 4:28 PM EDT

Hundreds of thousands of people go to work each day preparing the beef, pork and poultry that ends up on our dinner tables. Their workplace is among the most hazardous in the country. Slaughterhouses — while safer than they were decades ago — can exact a steep price from workers. As it tries to enforce safety rules, the government fines the businesses for violations, but one former official calls those fines ineffective and "embarrassingly low."

Luke Runyon

As KUNC’s reporter covering the Colorado River Basin, I dig into stories that show how water issues can both unite and divide communities throughout the Western U.S. I produce feature stories for KUNC and a network of public media stations in Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, New Mexico, Arizona, California and Nevada.

See stories by Luke Runyon