The expansion of the craft brewery industry is continuing at a rapid pace, leading to increased sales - and safety concerns at worksites. Although beer sales in the U.S. were down one percent overall in 2017, craft brewer sales were up by five percent, making that market segment account for an impressive 12.7 percent of the total beer market and more than 23 percent of retail sales of beer. According to the Brewers’ Association, craft production grew the most for microbreweries – small, independent operations.

“Craft-beer brewing is a complex process that involves multiple stages of production,” says Megan Martin, manager of Industry and Labour Services for WorkSafeBC, a workplace safety agency in the Canadian province of British Columbia (B.C.). The craft brewery industry has tripled in size in B.C. over the past ten years, growing from 54 employers to more than 160.