INDUSTRIAL BUTCHER 7 INDUSTRIAL BUTCHER 8 butcher may be required to control automated machinery. Some common pieces of machinery found in processing plants include: • Grinders • Slicers • Coolers and freezers • Sausage Stuffers As a machine operator, an individual must know how to set up, maintain, and disassemble equipment based on a product’s requirements. Furthermore, they must closely monitor machinery during production runs. If they notice that the products do not match company standards they will perform corrective machine adjustments and let quality assurance become aware of the problem. 5. Butchers Can Have Physically Demanding Jobs For a variety of reasons, butchering is considered a physically demanding profession. Firstly, butchers must stand for long periods and continuously repeat the same movements. Depending on their position they may be required to lift large boxes to different facility areas. In recent years, employers have focused on cross-functionally training employees to prevent the job from becoming too repetitive. Cross-functional training is when an individual is trained to do multiple roles. Therefore, an industrial butcher may debone chickens during the morning shift but in the afternoon may shift to cutting the chickens into individual portions. 6. Butchers Work in Cold Environments Butchers work in cold environments to preserve the freshness of meat products and prevent the growth of bacteria. That means entire food processing areas can be chilled like one giant refrigerator! Butchers keep up with the cold by wearing layers and taking breaks in warmer areas of the facility. Both aspects are fundamental because fatigue happens faster in cold environments. 7. Butchers Work Cleanly Extra care has to be taken when keeping equipment clean and sanitized at meat processing facilities. Equipment used at these processing facilities can harbour bacteria such E.coli, Salmonella and Clostridium. If an individual were to consume these bacteria they could get very sick or even die. Therefore, butchers need to clean their tools and work surfaces frequently. Keeping things clean is a facility-wide effort. In addition to the cleaning above during scheduled intervals meat processing plants are cleaned thoroughly. Foam cleaners are used that cover the entire room including walls and floors. This foam cleaner helps to get in all the small cracks where bacteria could grow. Once the foaming agent has been applied, cleaners will manually scrub and wash all areas. Scrubbing agitates bacteria’s membrane essentially killing them. Once scrubbed the cleaning process is completed by rinsing down the surfaces and adding a sanitizer to the surfaces. 8. Butchers Have Manual Dexterity, an Attention for Detail and Stamina Being a butcher requires a wide range of skills. However, there are a few which are more essential than others. These skills include: • Manual dexterity – Butchers work in cold environments which can be uncomfortable and cause a butcher’s hands to become numb. These professionals need to have the dexterity to work in both warm and cold conditions and consistently perform the correct cuts of meat. • Attention to detail – Properly breaking down a cow (or any other animal) requires a high degree of vigilance. A single incorrect cut could ruin a good piece of meat or even cause injury to oneself. Additionally, meat cutters must pay close attention to the meat for defects, bruises or blemishes during the cutting process. • Physical stamina – Most of a butcher’s job occurs on their feet. Butchers are comfortable spending their entire jobs on their feet bending, twisting, turning and other associated actions. As you can imagine, this is a very physical occupation! Learn how to get the job you want with Conestoga Meats Neha Mehta, Food Safety Quality Assurance Compliance Coordinator/Supervisor at Maple Leaf Foods Inc. Laurie Nicol, CareersNow! Meat & Poultry Sector Lead The Art and Prestige of Butchery! http://tinyurl.com/yc4x4vpp Dive into the world of butchery with Conestoga Meats! Watch to learn more about the art and skills of butchery! (Government of Canada, 2023)
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