Credit Nebraska Appleseed for perseverance in its effort to improve working conditions in the state's meatpacking plants.

Appleseed, a nonprofit public law center in Lincoln, has been pushing for improvements in the meatpacking industry for more than a decade.

To compile its most recent report, Appleseed interviewed 455 workers in five communities. The center found working conditions are still in dire need of improvement.

If there ever was a group of workers in need of a strong advocate, it would be those employed in the meatpacking industry.

Meatpacking is one of the few industries in the country that hire people without a high school diploma or English language skills. Many employees are recent immigrants. These characteristics make them susceptible to exploitation.

The jobs are physically demanding and dangerous. The rate of injuries and illness is almost twice as high as other injuries, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Workers on fast-moving production lines may make the same motion 10,000 times a day as they trim carcasses into steaks and other cuts of meat for the nation's tables. Repetitive-motion injuries are a constant hazard.

"Startlingly high injury rates persist, and repetitive-motion injuries are crippling workers' hands, necks and backs, curling their bodies," the report said.

In view of the danger and worker vulnerability, the amount of government resources devoted to worker protection is embarrassingly meager. The center pointed out that the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration now has only eight inspectors to monitor workplace conditions for 900,000 workers in the Midwest region.

In addition, OSHA has no authority to reduce the speed of meatpacker production lines unless food safety is involved. A reduction in line speed was identified by workers and the center as the most effective step that could be taken to improve workplace safety.

At the state level, there is only one part-time coordinator to help promote the "bill of rights" for meatpacking workers in Nebraska issued by then-Gov. Mike Johanns. Appleseed found that almost half of workers are unaware of the rights, and fewer than 30 percent thought those rights "made a difference."

Probably the most important upgrade in worker protection needs to occur at the federal level. There are encouraging signs that the Obama administration and Congress may strengthen OSHA programs, including reinstatement of a workplace ergonomics with authority to impose rules to reduce repetitive-motion injuries.

Workers at the state's meatpacking plants need all the friends they can find. More Nebraskans should join Appleseed in the effort to improve safety and protect worker rights.