The work takes a major emotional toll on the workers. The hog went crazy, so I took a handful of salt brine and ground it into his nose. Safety is a major problem for workers who operate sharp instruments standing on a floor slippery with blood and gore, surrounded by conscious animals kicking for their lives, and pressed by a speeding slaughter line. Workers who are disabled and those who complain about working conditions are fired and frequently replaced by undocumented aliens. One machine has a whirring blade that catches people in it.
Workers lose fingers.
One woman's breast got caught in it and was torn off. Another's shirt got caught and her face was dragged into it. Although Slaughterhouse focuses on animal cruelty and worker safety, it also addresses the issues of consumer health, including the failure of the federal inspection system. The toxins shut down Brianne's liver and pancreas. An insulin pump was started.