Wayne Farms cited for 11 safety violations, fined $102,600

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  File photo

  Wayne Farms has been issued 11 citations for safety violations at its plant in Jack, Alabama.

  From WATTAgNet:
  Wayne Farms has been cited by the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) for exposing workers at its plant in Jack, Alabama, to dangerous machinery, fall and musculoskeletal disorder hazards. OSHA issued 11 citations to the poultry processing plant, including nine serious, one repeat and one other-than serious violation. Proposed penalties against Wayne Farms amount to $102,600.
  The investigation was initiated after OSHA received a complaint from the Southern Poverty Law Center.
  "OSHA found that workers in this plant were exposed to safety and musculoskeletal hazards and suffered serious injuries as a result. The outcome of this investigation deepened our concern about musculoskeletal hazards in poultry plants, where employees are at increased risk of developing carpal tunnel syndrome and other disorders that affect the nerves, muscles and tendons," said Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Dr. David Michaels."These types of injuries are preventable by implementing appropriate engineering and administrative controls in the workplace, and when they occur, they must be treated early with appropriate medical care to prevent the illness from progressing. However, in this plant, OSHA found workers were often required to seek assistance from the company's on-site nurse many times before they were referred to a physician."
  Wayne Farms, according to an OSHA spokesman, also failed to record injuries and properly manage the treatment of injured employees at the plant in Jack.
  "By failing to report injuries, failing to refer employees to physicians and discouraging employees from seeking medical treatment, Wayne Farms effectively concealed the extent to which these poultry plant workers were suffering work-related injuries and illnesses. And as a result, it reported an artificially lower injury and illness rate," said Joseph Roesler, OSHA’s area director in Mobile, Alabama.
  One repeat violation, with a penalty of $38,500, was cited for the employer's failure to protect workers from moving parts of a machine during servicing and maintenance work.
  Seven serious violations, carrying penalties of $49,000, involve exposing workers to serious safety hazards, including unguarded machines, slippery floors and fall hazards. In addition, OSHA issued two more serious general duty clause citations for musculoskeletal disorder hazards with penalties of $14,000. One general duty clause citation was issued for exposing employees on the debone line to hazards while performing prolonged, repetitive, forceful tasks, often while using awkward postures. OSHA issued the second general duty citation for exposing employees to the stressors of repetitive lifting and carrying of totes filled with chicken that can weigh in excess of 75 pounds.
  Another violation, with a $1,100 penalty, was cited for failing to record serious work-related injuries on OSHA's 300 form for tracking work-related injuries and illnesses, as required.
  Prior to the most recent OSHA inspection, Wayne Farms’ plant in Jack was last inspected in June 2011, when the company was cited for record-keeping violations.
  Wayne Farms, the sixth largest poultry company in the United States, processes 328 million chickens annually, according to the WATT Global Media Top Companies Database.
  The company has 15 business days from receipt of the citations and proposed penalties to contest the findings.

Pilgrim’s fined $170,000 for poultry plant safety violations

The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has imposed $170,000 in fines against Pilgrim's for 11 safety violations at its plant in De Queen, Ark.
The inspection, which began in January, was initiated under the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's Process Safety Management Covered Chemical Facilities National Emphasis Program. Pilgrim's was fined $70,000 for a willful violation as the company received a citation for failing to document that an emergency shutdown system was activated by an ammonia leak.
Pilgrim's was also cited with nine serious safety violations, with $61,500 in fines. Those citations were for deficiencies of the relief valves and failing to provide process hazard analysis, operating procedures, testing procedures and management of change procedures.
The repeat violation, with a fine of $38,500, was for failing to ensure the adequate frequency of self-inspections and tests of ammonia refrigeration equipment and vessels. A similar violation was cited in 2011.
Pilgrim's has 15 business days from receipt of the citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with the area director or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission. 

Allen fined $1million for safety violations

The Baltimore Sun reported Allen Family Foods Inc. has been fined $1 million for 51 safety violations found in an inspection by the Occupational Safety and Health unit of the state Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation in Maryland.
The state inspection followed an incident at the poultry company’s Hurlock, Md., facility last December in which an employee was seriously hurt.