Meat Cutter

Position Summary

The Meat Cutter safely cuts and prepares a wide variety of fresh and frozen meat, fish, and poultry according to company procedures and customer specifications. The position operates large powered cutting and processing machines, uses knives and other cutting tools, protects product and employee safety, maintains a sanitary cutting area, and provides accurate and courteous customer service. The store uses band saw cutting machines to process fresh, frozen, boneless, and bone-in meat, poultry, and fish inventory, and the Meat Cutter is expected to operate them safely after training and authorization.

Work Environment

Work is performed primarily in the meat-cutting area, near refrigerated and frozen products and large powered cutting and processing machines. The work involves heavy lifting up to 60lbs, sharp blades and tools, cold products, wet or slippery surfaces, cleaning and sanitizing products, noise, repetitive movement, lifting, and frequent interaction with customers and coworkers.

Minimum Qualifications

• At least 18 years of age.
• Eligible to work in the United States.
• No criminal background.
• Ability to provide friendly, courteous, and prompt customer service.
• Ability to read, write, perform basic math, understand customer receipts and orders, and follow written and verbal instructions.
• Ability to complete required training and consistently follow all machine-operation, cutting, food-safety, sanitation, personal-protective-equipment, and emergency procedures.
• Ability to safely use knives and operate large machines used to cut fresh and frozen meat only after training and authorization.
• Ability to perform the position's physical requirements with or without reasonable accommodation.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities1. Safety Rules, Training, and Machine Authorization

• Follow all store safety rules and trained cutting protocols at all times. Safety requirements apply even during busy periods or when a customer is waiting.
• Operate a powered saw, grinder, slicer, tenderizer, or other cutting or processing machine only after completing machine-specific training and receiving authorization from management.
• Use each machine only for its intended purpose and only for products and cuts covered by training. Follow the manufacturer's instructions and the store's written procedures.
• Before use, inspect the machine, blade, guards, covers, tables, cords, plugs, controls, emergency stop, and surrounding work area. Do not use equipment that is damaged, altered, missing a guard, unusually noisy, vibrating, or otherwise unsafe.
• Keep every required guard, cover, safety device, and interlock installed and functioning. Never bypass, disable, remove, or defeat a safety feature.
• Keep hands and body parts away from blades and moving parts. Use approved push devices, guides, handles, or other tools required by training; never reach into operating equipment or use hands to clear a jam.
• Keep the work area stable and uncluttered. Secure and control fresh or frozen product before cutting and never force, hold unsafely, or attempt an unstable cut.
• Stop work immediately, prevent others from using the equipment, and notify the Store Manager if a condition, product, cut, or machine cannot be handled safely.

2. Personal Protective Equipment and Personal Safety

• Wear store-provided eye protection whenever operating, assisting with, cleaning, assembling, or working near powered cutting equipment, and at any other time required by training or management.
• Wear the company-issued cap, apron, footwear, gloves, and other personal protective equipment required for the task and keep them clean and in good condition.
• Use cut-resistant protection for knife or manual cutting tasks when required by training. Do not wear loose gloves near moving machinery unless the machine-specific procedure expressly requires and approves them.
• Secure loose clothing, hair, jewelry, cords, and other items that could contact or become caught in a machine.
• Never operate cutting equipment when distracted, impaired, overly fatigued, or unable to follow the trained procedure safely.
• Immediately report every injury, cut, near miss, equipment contact, damaged protective item, or unsafe condition, even if medical care does not appear necessary.

3. Food Safety, Sanitation, and Personal Hygiene

• Wash hands at required times and wear clean gloves when required for food handling. Replace gloves when torn, dirty, contaminated, or when changing tasks.
• Follow all food-safety, sanitation, cross-contamination-prevention, temperature-control, and approved-cleaning procedures.
• Keep raw products separated as required and protect meat, fish, and poultry from contamination during cutting, bagging, labeling, and storage.
• Keep the cutting area, tools, tables, baskets, bags, towels, floors, and nearby surfaces clean and organized throughout the shift.
• Use only approved, properly labeled cleaning and sanitizing products and follow required concentration, contact-time, rinsing, and storage procedures.

4. Professionalism and Attendance

• Report to work on time, in required attire, and ready to begin work at the scheduled start of the shift.
• Follow the posted schedule, return on time from breaks, and promptly notify the Store Manager of an absence, delay, or emergency.
• Assist customers and coworkers in a friendly, courteous, professional, and respectful manner.
• Follow instructions from authorized managers and ask questions before proceeding when a direction, order, cut, or safety procedure is unclear.

5. Customer Orders and Cutting Meat

• Before cutting, review the customer's receipt and basket to confirm all items are present and no additional items are included; immediately report discrepancies to the cashier.
• Confirm the requested product, quantity, and cutting specifications before beginning. Cut a sample piece and obtain customer confirmation when required by store procedure.
• Cut the remaining product to the confirmed specification using the approved tool, machine, and trained method for fresh or frozen meat.
• Bag and label cut products according to store procedures, protect product quality, and prevent cross-contamination. Reuse bags only when permitted by food-safety and sanitation procedures.
• Check the completed order against the receipt and confirm the customer receives all purchased product.
• Clean and organize the cutting area throughout the shift and assist another cutter with safe bagging or order completion when assigned.

6. Machine Shutdown, Cleaning, Assembly, and Blade Work

• Before cleaning, clearing a jam, disassembling, assembling, adjusting, inspecting, or changing a blade or component, stop the machine, wait for all movement to stop, disconnect or otherwise isolate its power, and follow the store's trained shutdown and lockout procedure.
• Never clean a blade or moving part while the machine is operating or energized. Never rely only on an on/off switch when the trained procedure requires disconnection or lockout.
• Disassemble, clean, sanitize, reassemble, adjust, or change blades only when trained and authorized for that specific machine.
• Use approved handling tools and protective equipment for blades and sharp components. Do not touch cutting edges unnecessarily or leave blades exposed or unattended.
• After cleaning or assembly, verify that parts, guards, covers, fasteners, and safety devices are correctly installed before reconnecting power or returning the machine to service.
• Do not place tools, bags, personal items, or anything other than the approved product on a cutting machine or its operating surface.
• If a machine cannot be safely cleaned, assembled, tested, or returned to service, keep it out of use and notify the Store Manager.

7. End-of-Shift and Closing Responsibilities

• Thoroughly clean and sanitize the assigned machine and cutting area before leaving unless an authorized replacement is immediately assuming the station and management directs otherwise.
• Complete trained shutdown, cleaning, inspection, reassembly, and storage procedures and leave the machine ready for authorized use only after confirming it is safe.
• Change a blade only when necessary and only if trained, authorized, and following the required shutdown, handling, installation, and inspection procedure.
• When assigned after closing, bring meat baskets and shopping-cart bins to the cutting area and wash, sanitize, dry, and store them according to procedure.
• Report unresolved equipment, blade, guard, sanitation, product, supply, or safety concerns before leaving and complete required logs or incident reports.

8. Inventory and General Store Support

• When inventory arrives, assist with safely moving boxes into designated freezers or storage areas when assigned.
• Use safe lifting methods and request assistance or approved equipment for heavy, bulky, frozen, unstable, or difficult-to-handle items.
• Maintain safe aisles and work areas and promptly report damaged products, unsafe stacking, spills, leaks, temperature concerns, or equipment problems.

Physical Requirements and Safe Work Practices

• The position requires prolonged standing; frequent reaching, grasping, cutting, bagging, pushing, pulling, and repetitive arm and hand movements; substantial hand strength; visual attention; and eye-hand coordination.
• The position requires lifting and carrying products weighing up to 50 pounds. Use safe methods and request assistance or approved equipment when needed.
• The employee must be able to safely perform essential functions and use required protective equipment with or without reasonable accommodation.
• Do not perform a task that appears unsafe. Stop, protect the area when possible, and notify the Store Manager.

Performance Standards and Recordkeeping

• Demonstrate consistent safety compliance, correct machine operation, cutting accuracy, product quality, food safety, sanitation, dependable attendance, customer service, and prompt reporting.
• Complete assigned equipment inspections, cleaning records, temperature logs, training checklists, incident reports, and other records accurately and on time.
• Never record an inspection, cleaning, safety check, corrective action, or training step that was not actually completed or verified.
• This job description, training records, inspection and cleaning checklists, incident reports, attendance records, and documented coaching may be used to evaluate performance.

Other Duties

Perform other lawful and reasonable duties assigned by the Store Manager, Store General Manager, designated owner, or another authorized manager. This description presents the position's principal responsibilities but is not an exhaustive list. No assignment authorizes an employee to disregard a safety rule or perform untrained machine work.

Pay: $16.00 per hour

Benefits:

• Paid training

Work Location: In person