Contract cleaning employee dies in accident at Tyson Foods plant

An employee of a contract cleaning company died February 17 from injuries sustained during an accident at the Tyson Foods poultry plant in Shelbyville, Tennessee.
James A. Currier, a resident of Shelbyville, was killed after apparently falling into a piece of machinery, police said.
"We're saddened by the death of an employee of a contract cleaning company working at our Shelbyville plant," Tyson Foods spokesman Gary Mickelson said in a statement to the Times-Gazette.
"It happened early Tuesday morning when the plant was not in operation but was being cleaned and sanitized. While details of the incident are being reviewed, we can tell you it happened while the worker was cleaning some equipment. OSHA has been contacted by the contract cleaning company."
Currier worked for QSI, a division of The Vincit Group which provides plant sanitation services.
QSI released the following statement: "It is with heart-felt sadness that we must report the loss of a team member at our QSI Shelbyville operation. Our sympathies and condolences go out to the family members and our fellow team associates. Our first concern is to assist the family with any needs that they may have and we will continue to be in contact with them.
"Employee safety is always of priority to QSI and we have launched an investigation and will be working closely with OSHA."

Sparboe Farms accident results in woman’s head injury

A 26-year-old woman suffered severe head injuries after being involved in an August 26 accident involving egg grading equipment at a Sparboe Farms facility near Litchfield, Minnesota. The injured woman’s identity has not yet been released.
According to a report in the West Central Tribune, the woman was to be treated for injuries after her hair became entangled in the machinery she was cleaning inside a production building. She was an employee of JNS Cleaning Service of Litchfield, which was contracted by egg production company Sparboe Farms for cleaning services.
Minnesota’s Meeker County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 emergency call that reported the accident around 6:32 p.m. at the Sparboe Farms facility on U.S. Highway 12 outside of Litchfield. The egg production facility is located in Darwin Township, which is east of Litchfield.
The injured woman was initially transported to Meeker County Memorial Hospital by way of a Gold Cross ambulance, but she was later flown by helicopter to a larger hospital, North Memorial Hospital. Assisting at on scene were the Litchfield Rescue Squad and the Litchfield Police Department.
The Meeker County Sheriff’s Department is in the process of conducting an investigation regarding the incident at the Sparboe Farms facility.

Man dies at Sparboe Farms construction site

A man building a barn at a Sparboe Farms site near Litchfield, Minnesota, has died from injuries sustained after falling about 28 feet on June 21. Ruben Rodrigo Esquivel Solis, 23, Okabena, Minnesota was pronounced dead at the scene.
According to the Star Tribune, Solis was putting tin on top of the roof of the barn, when a board broke and caused him to fall to a concrete floor below. Meeker County emergency personnel were called to the plant around 6:30 p.m.
Solis was not an employee of Sparboe Farms, but rather an employee of Pro-X Builders Inc. Pro-X, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, was contracted to build barns for the leading egg producer.

Injured House of Raeford worker recovering after surgery

An employee at the House of Raeford Farms chicken processing plant in West Columbia, South Carolina, was injured June 3 in a work-related accident. The 43-year old man was operating factory machinery and suffered severe injuries to his right leg, the company stated.
Medical reports indicated that the patient is recovering from surgery, the company reported on the day following the accident. The cause of the accident is currently under investigation by House of Raeford Farms and the South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the patient and his family. House of Raeford Farms is taking every measure possible to ensure the safety of our employees, equipment and operations,” the company stated.

Truck hauling chickens for Foster Farms involved in accident

A tractor-trailer rig hauling about 5,400 live chickens for Foster Farms overturned July 10 in downtown Salem, Ore., spilling birds into the street.
"A considerable number" of chickens died in the crash, said Lt. Dave Okada, Salem Police Department, and many others appeared to have died during a nearly six-hour cleanup.
Okada told the Salem Statesman Journal the load originated in rural Polk County, Ore., and was bound for Kelso, Wash. He says the driver, 41-year-old Patricia Aguilar of Kelso, was taken to a hospital for observation.
In a statement, Foster Farms said it contracted with a hauling company to transport the chickens. Foster Farms stated it is "committed to the safety of live poultry during transport" and regrets the accident.