Working in industrial slaughter facilities is associated with high rates of occupational injury, psychological harm, and PTSD, with evidence that worker wellbeing and animal welfare outcomes are closely linked.
The welfare of slaughterhouse workers and the welfare of animals processed in those facilities are not competing interests — they are deeply interconnected. High-stress, high-speed environments with inadequate supervision and poor working conditions produce the conditions in which animal welfare violations proliferate. Workers who are themselves suffering are less able to maintain the attentiveness and care required for humane handling. Addressing worker welfare — through fair wages, reasonable line speeds, psychological support, and union protections — is also a pathway to improved animal welfare outcomes in slaughter facilities.