Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers Occupation Detailed Description

Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers career

General Job Description and Education/Training Levels for Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers

The main tasks and work activities of Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers are to cut meat products, process animal carcasses, prepare meat products for sale or consumption, inspect food products. In general, for the Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers, active Listening, judgment and Decision Making, monitoring, critical Thinking and other 2 skills are required.
Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers Job Description
EducationSome of these occupations may require a high school diploma or GED certificate.
Related ExperienceLittle or no previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, a person can become a waiter or waitress even if he/she has never worked before.
Job TrainingEmployees in these occupations need anywhere from a few days to a few months of training. Usually, an experienced worker could show you how to do the job.
ExampleThese occupations involve following instructions and helping others. Examples include food preparation workers, dishwashers, sewing machine operators, landscaping and groundskeeping workers, logging equipment operators, and baristas.
The following chart shows the education/training levels for Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers jobs. 36.26% of Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers have High School Diploma (or the equivalent) and 1.3% of Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers have Bachelor's Degree and Above.
Less than a High School Diploma
62.44%
High School Diploma (or the equivalent)
36.26%
Post-Secondary Certificate
0.00%
Some College Courses
0.00%
Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree)
0.00%
Bachelor's Degree and Above
1.30%

Tasks and Work Activities of Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers

  • Use knives, cleavers, meat saws, bandsaws, or other equipment to perform meat cutting and trimming.
  • Clean, trim, slice, and section carcasses for future processing.
  • Cut and trim meat to prepare for packing.
  • Remove parts, such as skin, feathers, scales or bones, from carcass.
  • Inspect meat products for defects, bruises or blemishes and remove them along with any excess fat.
  • Produce hamburger meat and meat trimmings.
  • Process primal parts into cuts that are ready for retail use.
  • Obtain and distribute specified meat or carcass.
  • Separate meats and byproducts into specified containers and seal containers.
  • Weigh meats and tag containers for weight and contents.
  • Clean and salt hides.
  • Prepare sausages, luncheon meats, hot dogs, and other fabricated meat products, using meat trimmings and hamburger meat.
  • Prepare ready-to-heat foods by filleting meat or fish or cutting it into bite-sized pieces, preparing and adding vegetables or applying sauces or breading.
  • Getting InformationObserving, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
  • Identifying Objects, Actions, and EventsIdentifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
  • Handling and Moving ObjectsUsing hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, and moving materials, and manipulating things.
  • Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or MaterialInspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects.
  • Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or SubordinatesProviding information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
  • Processing InformationCompiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or verifying information or data.
  • Making Decisions and Solving ProblemsAnalyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
  • Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing WorkDeveloping specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.
  • Controlling Machines and ProcessesUsing either control mechanisms or direct physical activity to operate machines or processes (not including computers or vehicles).
  • Monitor Processes, Materials, or SurroundingsMonitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems.
  • Cut meat products.
  • Process animal carcasses.
  • Prepare meat products for sale or consumption.
  • Inspect food products.
  • Distribute supplies to workers.
  • Sort materials or products for processing, storing, shipping, or grading.
  • Weigh finished products.
  • Mark products, workpieces, or equipment with identifying information.

Skills and Abilities for Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers

  • Active ListeningGiving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
  • Judgment and Decision MakingConsidering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
  • MonitoringMonitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
  • Critical ThinkingUsing logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
  • SpeakingTalking to others to convey information effectively.
  • Arm-Hand SteadinessThe ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.
  • Near VisionThe ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
  • Control PrecisionThe ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.
  • Oral ExpressionThe ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
  • Trunk StrengthThe ability to use your abdominal and lower back muscles to support part of the body repeatedly or continuously over time without 'giving out' or fatiguing.
  • Manual DexterityThe ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.
  • Selective AttentionThe ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.
  • VisualizationThe ability to imagine how something will look after it is moved around or when its parts are moved or rearranged.
  • Speech ClarityThe ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
  • Information OrderingThe ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
  • Speech RecognitionThe ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
  • Problem SensitivityThe ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
  • Oral ComprehensionThe ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
  • Multilimb CoordinationThe ability to coordinate two or more limbs (for example, two arms, two legs, or one leg and one arm) while sitting, standing, or lying down. It does not involve performing the activities while the whole body is in motion.
  • Finger DexterityThe ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects.
  • Blast freezerse.g. Blast chillers
  • Commercial use cutlerye.g. Bone dusters
  • Commercial use cutlerye.g. Boning knives
  • Razor knivese.g. Box cutters
  • Commercial use cutlerye.g. Butcher knives
  • Dicing machinerye.g. Cubing machines
  • Cutting machinerye.g. Derinding machines
  • Commercial use food grinderse.g. Electric meat grinders
  • Jackse.g. Floor jacks
  • Forkliftse.g. Forklifts
  • Lifting hookse.g. Gamb sticks
  • Forming machinee.g. Hamburger patty makers
  • Sawse.g. Hand saws
  • Hoistse.g. Hoisting equipment
  • Shearse.g. Kitchen shears
  • Sharpening stones or tools or kitse.g. Knife sharpeners
  • Pallet truckse.g. Machine rollers
  • Winchese.g. Manual winches
  • Belt conveyorse.g. Materials conveyors
  • Commercial use cutlerye.g. Meat cleavers
  • Production and ProcessingKnowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
  • Food ProductionKnowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
  • Public Safety and SecurityKnowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
  • MathematicsKnowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
  • Administration and ManagementKnowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
  • MechanicalKnowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
  • Personnel and Human ResourcesKnowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
  • TransportationKnowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
  • Education and TrainingKnowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.