Table 1. Demographic and employment characteristics of beef meatpacking workers, Nebraska, United States (n = 137).
| Characteristica | Number of workers (%) |
|---|---|
| Sex | |
| Male | 76 (55.5) |
| Female | 61 (44.5) |
| Race/ethnicity | |
| White/Caucasian | 10 (7.3) |
| Latino/Hispanic | 126 (92.0) |
| Other | 1 (<1) |
| Current smoking status | |
| Non-smoker | 118 (86.7) |
| Smoker | 18 (13.2) |
| Education | |
| Less than high school | 75 (54.7) |
| High school or more | 62 (45.3) |
| Duration of employment at this plant | |
| <1 year | 17 (12.4) |
| 1–5 years | 46 (33.6) |
| 5–10 years | 27 (19.7) |
| 10+ years | 47 (34.3) |
| Department/work area | |
| Kill floor | 40 (29.2) |
| Cut floor | 71 (51.8) |
| Box room | 8 (5.8) |
| Shipping | 5 (3.6) |
| Other | 13 (9.5) |
a Mean age of workers was 44 years (standard deviation: 11 years)