Inside NSC MSD Pledge member Cargill’s Commitment to Zero Harm.
By David Brodie, Advisor, Food NA Ergonomist - EHS, Cargill
Every day, thousands of Cargill team members perform physically demanding work that helps feed the world. Behind every cut, lift and shift is a person whose health and safety matter – not just at work, but long after clocking out. That’s why Cargill has made musculoskeletal disorder (MSD) prevention a cornerstone of our safety strategy. We’re a proud National Safety Council MSD Pledge member.
In May, the Council’s MSD Solutions Lab visited our Guelph, Ontario, plant. The visit captured how we’re bringing that strategy to life. From innovations in equipment design to employee-led initiatives and research partnerships, our focus is simple: protect our people by reducing risk on the production floor.
When I joined Cargill over 14 years ago, safety was already deeply embedded in our culture. What’s evolved since then is our commitment to the concept of “Zero Harm.” That means protecting not only our employees but also the food we produce, the communities we serve and the environment we operate in.
This philosophy guides our approach to ergonomics. With physically demanding, manual labor at the core of our operations, we knew early on that MSDs were a significant issue requiring focused attention. Through continued investment in prevention, education and innovation, we've achieved meaningful results in protecting our workforce.
Our approach to MSD prevention begins before an employee ever steps onto the floor. New hires participate in onboarding activities and structured job skills training (including knife use) and follow a process that increases job demands over a specific timeframe to manage safe workloads. They also complete stretching routines and instruction on ergonomics and early injury reporting. We don’t just train, we educate. When people understand their bodies and the risks they face, they’re better equipped to protect themselves and their coworkers.
We also offer preventive response programs, movement-based massage therapy and job rotation options. These reduce physical stress and aid in recovery. As our on-site massage therapist shared during the tour: Early intervention often means a faster return to comfort and productivity.
We’re continuously improving how we identify and address ergonomic hazards. One of our most impactful tools for achieving this is gathering and acting on feedback from our frontline employees. Through our Safety and Ergonomics teams (Joint Health and Safety Committees in Canada), we engage production team members in behavior-based observations, ergonomic assessments and monthly reviews of injury data and solutions. This inclusive approach ensures our safety strategies are grounded in on-the-job experience.
Working together as a team helps drive innovation that impacts our employees’ health. At our Guelph plant, our team worked to modify forklifts to accommodate taller operators – relieving strain on their necks and shoulders. We’ve also installed vacuum lifts in our shipping department to reduce back strain from heavy loads. Our “Break the 8” knife sharpness program helps reduce forceful exertions – a major MSD risk factor. By training employees to maintain knives at or above a sharpness level of eight (on a 10-point scale), we’ve lowered injury potential and improved performance.
We’re also investing in research to advance safety outcomes. Our partnership with the University of Waterloo helps us answer critical questions about technology use in high-variability environments like ours. The university is one of the MSD Solutions Lab's Research to Solutions grant recipients. By testing computer vision tools and sensor technology, we’re learning how to use data to better predict and prevent ergonomic risks.
That knowledge gets translated directly into guidance and training materials for our plants. It’s also shared beyond Cargill to contribute to industry-wide progress in MSD risk mitigation.
The next chapter in our journey is leveraging data analytics to predict risks before they lead to injury. Emerging tools like AI, sensor technology and computer vision hold enormous promise. We’re laying the groundwork now to collect the right data and build the systems to act on it. That’s how we’ll enhance our workplace safety practices. There’s no finish line for safety.
Signing the MSD Pledge isn’t just a symbolic move – it is a commitment to lead by example. When we listen, invest and collaborate, we reduce MSD risks and enhance worker safety. Over the past 15 years, our ergonomics program has significantly evolved, leading to a reduction in MSD injuries by more than 70%. Additionally, we have successfully met the goals of the MSD Pledge for the past three years.
At Cargill, we’re proud of the progress we’ve made. But more importantly, we’re proud of the people behind that progress – our team members. Because at the end of the day, safety isn’t just about avoiding injuries. It’s about ensuring everyone goes home in as good or better shape than when they arrived.
To learn more about the safety initiatives at our Guelph plant, check out the video below. To join the growing MSD Pledge community and access proven solutions to protect workers, visit nsc.org/msdpledge.
With a century-long legacy, the National Safety Council is a global center for safety expertise. Let's work together to align resources. We look forward to learning about ways we can join efforts to expand safety everywhere!
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