Profession meat cutter

Meat cutters cut carcasses of animals into large and smaller parts for further processing. They remove bones from pre-processed carcasses of animals either manually or using machines.

Personality Type

• Realistic / Conventional

Knowledge

• Cultural practices regarding animal parts sorting

  The religious and cultural practices regarding animal parts sorting as to not mix meat parts with other parts that may inhibit religion practitioners from eating the meat.

• Documentation concerning meat production

  Understand legal identification documents and marks which cover animal movement, identification, and health status. Understand information in commercial books of meat production.

• Animal anatomy for food production

  The anatomy of animals, their organs and their functions, as well as the usage of these organs for food production after slaughtering.

• Cultural practices regarding animal slaughter

  Understand cultural or religious rules and traditions regarding the slaughter of animals.

Skills

• Apply requirements concerning manufacturing of food and beverages

  Apply and follow national, international, and internal requirements quoted in standards, regulations and other specifications related with manufacturing of food and beverages.

• Mark differences in colours

  Identify differences between colours, such as shades of colour.

• Apply GMP

  Apply regulations regarding manufacture of food and food safety compliance. Employ food safety procedures based on Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP).

• Tend meat processing production machines

  Operate production equipment and tools to process meat and meat products.

• Apply HACCP

  Apply regulations regarding manufacture of food and food safety compliance. Employ food safety procedures based on Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP).

• Handle meat processing equipment in cooling rooms

  Push and put carcasses in and out the cooling room as specified. Use equipment specific to this room to handle meat and meat products.

• Ensure sanitation

  Keep workspaces and equipment free from dirt, infection, and disease by removing waste, trash and providing for appropriate cleaning.

• Handle knives for meat processing activities

  Handle knives for meat processing activities. Use the correct knives and cutting instruments for meat preparations, prepared meat products, or meat products made by a butcher.

• Use cutting equipment

  Use knives, cleavers, meat saws, bandsaws, or other equipment to perform meat cutting and trimming.

• Handle knives for cutting activities

  Use various types of knives and cutters used in the cutting and deboning process. Use techniques for the usage of the knives. Select the right knives for the job at hand. Take care of the knives.

• Monitor temperature in manufacturing process of food and beverages

  Monitor and control required temperatures in the different phases of production until the product reaches suitable properties according to specifications.

• Trace meat products

  Take the regulations regarding the traceability of final products within the sector into account.

• Sort cut parts of carcasses inside cooling compartments

  Place the different parts of the carcass resulting from deboning and cutting in cooling rooms. Sort the body parts and follow classifications codes according to the type of meat, part of the carcass, and other considerations in specified containers.

• Tolerate strong smells

  Tolerate strong smells expelled by the goods being processed during the production of goods.

• Ensure refrigeration of food in the supply chain

  Apply different procedures to maintain the chain of temperature of foodstuffs and products in each stage of the production and supply chain.

• Process livestock organs

  Process livestock organs and other byproducts for meat manufacturing processes. Remove organs from carcasses and perform activities such as cutting or dividing parts, washing organs, execute specific treatments, packaging, and labelling.

• Maintain cutting equipment

  Maintenance of the cutting equipment (knives, cutters, and other elements).

• Weigh parts of animal carcasses

  After cutting and deboning, weigh the prepared parts of meat for the next process in the manufacturing of meat products or for direct selling. Tag containers for weight and contents.

• Operate weighing machine

  Work with a weighing machine to measure raw, half-finished and finished products.

• Operate cutting equipment

  Operate cutting equipment specific to the activities undergone in this phase of slaughtering and meat processing. Use machinery, chainsaws, knives, and separators to open animal carcasses and separate these into parts for processing.

• Lift heavy weights

  Lift heavy weights and apply ergonomic lifting techniques to avoid damaging the body.

• Cope with blood

  Cope with blood, organs, and other internal parts without feeling distressed.

• Split animal carcasses

  Separate animal carcasses and organs into larger subsections such as head and limbs, debone and cut them.

• Follow hygienic procedures during food processing

  Ensure a clean working space according to hygienic standards in the food processing industry.

• Work in cold environments

  Work in cold storage and deep freeze facilities. Cooling rooms are around 0°C. Resist temperatures of -18°C in meat processing freezer facilities as required by law, except for the slaughterhouse, where room working temperatures are below 12°C by law.

Optional knowledge and skills

Source: Sisyphus ODB