Chapter 3: Equipment

As we know, tools are an extension of the hand and nothing is more important to the successful manipulation of tools than the safety of our appendages. In this chapter we explore the various tools and equipment of the trade, their usage, safety and lockout features, and operational practices. Important to know is the purpose of equipment and our attention to particular potential hazards equipment posses to the untrained or inattentive worker.

The chapter introduces you to more common types of equipment used in the meat industry but not all equipment available to the industry. A comprehensive list of meat industry equipment with illustrations would make a textbook of its own.

Here as elsewhere we note that the content of this chapter is no substitute for demonstration and training by a qualified instructor in the use and maintenance of equipment listed herein. As with the use of any tool, practice is required to develop safe and efficient operational skills.