Occupational safety experts from the US poultry sector are set to meet in Florida in August

Occupational safety professionals working in the poultry and egg sector will come together at the National Poultry Industry Occupational Safety Conference, to be held in Destin, Florida, USA, from 17 to 19 August 2026. Sponsored by the Georgia Tech Research Institute/ATRP and the US Poultry and Egg Association, the event will address the latest developments in occupational health and safety practices, as well as sector-specific experiences.

Scheduled to take place at the Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort & Spa, the conference is designed for occupational safety specialists working at both facility and corporate levels. The programme aims to provide participants with practical strategies for developing workplace safety programmes, updates on legislation and new solutions.

Darrell Bradfield, Chair of the conference programme committee and Director of Health, Safety and Security at Butterball LLC, emphasised that occupational safety professionals bear the responsibility for continuously improving safety programmes and providing employees with safer working environments. Bradfield noted that the conference offers significant opportunities to gain insights from industry experts, share best practices and develop practical solutions to enhance safety performance.

The event programme will feature updates on regulatory developments from Washington, leading safety indicators, a panel session on preventing serious injuries and fatalities, assessments of occupational safety legislation, the OSHA Safety Champion Programme, ergonomics, occupational health practices in recruitment processes, social compliance audits, and the role of health and safety in reasonable accommodation arrangements.

The conference will also feature interactive round-table sessions on occupational health, fleet safety and fatigue-related driving risks, effective recruitment practices, emergency preparedness under the Clean Air Act, emergency response planning, equipment assessments, artificial intelligence applications in workplace safety, lockout/tagout procedures and hygiene safety.

The winners of the 2026 Safety Awards will also be announced during the event. The awards aim to recognise the achievements of organisations that have developed exemplary practices in the field of occupational health and safety within the poultry sector.

The planning committee for the 2026 National Poultry Sector Occupational Safety Conference comprises experienced occupational safety professionals from various companies within the sector. The committee includes Darrell Bradfield from Butterball LLC, as well as representatives from Perdue Farms, Fieldale Farms Corporation, Simmons Foods Inc., Wayne-Sanderson Farms, Mar-Jac Poultry Inc., Tyson Foods Inc. and Wimberly Lawson Steckel Schneider & Stine PC.