16-year-old suffers fatal injuries: Department of Labor reaches settlement

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In a significant development following a tragic incident, the U.S. Department of Labor has reached a settlement agreement with Mar-Jac Poultry MS LLC, a poultry processing plant based in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. The settlement comes after a thorough investigation by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) into the circumstances surrounding the death of a 16-year-old worker who suffered fatal injuries while cleaning machinery in July 2023.

The Incident: A Tragic Loss

The incident that led to the settlement was a stark reminder of the critical importance of workplace safety, particularly in environments with heavy machinery. The young worker was fatally caught in a machine due to the failure of the company to adhere to required safety procedures, including the proper use of lockout/tagout protocols designed to prevent such accidents. The tragedy has underscored the need for rigorous enforcement of safety standards, particularly in industries like poultry processing, where the risks of machinery-related injuries are well-known.

Settlement Details: Fines and Enhanced Safety Measures

As part of the settlement, Mar-Jac Poultry has agreed to pay $164,814 in fines and to implement a series of enhanced safety measures aimed at preventing future incidents. The company has also withdrawn its contest of the citations issued by OSHA, signaling a commitment to addressing the violations that led to the fatality.

Key components of the settlement include:

• Enhanced Supervision: Mar-Jac Poultry will add another properly trained supervisor to the sanitation shift to ensure that safety protocols are strictly followed, particularly during high-risk tasks like cleaning machinery.
• Updated Training: Workers exposed to lockout/tagout and machine guarding hazards will receive updated training to ensure they understand and can effectively implement safety procedures. This includes training on how to properly shut down and secure machinery to prevent accidental start-ups during maintenance and cleaning.
• Management Training: The plant’s manager and safety director are required to complete OSHA’s 30-hour general industry training, while plant supervisors must complete OSHA’s 10-hour training. This training is designed to enhance their understanding of workplace safety standards and improve their ability to enforce these standards on the ground.
• Lockout/Tagout System Overhaul: The company will institute a new system for assigning, identifying, and issuing locks to authorized employees performing lockout/tagout functions. Programs and training will be updated to reflect this requirement, ensuring that only trained and authorized personnel are involved in these critical safety procedures.
• Risk and Hazard Assessment: Mar-Jac Poultry will conduct a comprehensive risk and hazard assessment focused on the sanitation shift’s lockout/tagout procedures. This assessment will include a review of past incidents, near misses, injuries, and any unexpected machinery start-ups or malfunctions, with the goal of identifying and mitigating potential hazards.
• Monthly Safety Audits: For one year, the company will perform monthly lockout/tagout safety audits during the sanitation shift. Mar-Jac Poultry must provide OSHA with proof of these audits, including documentation of the steps being taken to reduce hazards in response to the audit findings.

OSHA’s Response: A Call for Safer Workplaces

OSHA Regional Administrator Kurt Petermeyer in Atlanta emphasized the critical nature of this settlement, stating, “Tragically, a teenage boy died needlessly before Mar-Jac Poultry took required steps to protect its workers. This settlement demands the company commit to a safer workplace environment and take tangible actions to protect their employees from well-known hazards. Enhanced supervision and increased training can go a long way toward minimizing risks faced by workers in meat processing facilities.”

OSHA continues to offer no-cost safety consultation services to small and medium-sized employers to assist them in developing comprehensive safety programs that can prevent incidents leading to serious and fatal injuries.

Mar-Jac Poultry: A Legacy and a Responsibility

Headquartered in Gainesville, Georgia, Mar-Jac Poultry has been a key player in the poultry industry since 1954, raising live birds for poultry production at facilities across Alabama, Georgia, and Mississippi. The company supplies food service customers both in the U.S. and abroad. However, this incident and the resulting settlement serve as a stark reminder that even well-established companies must continuously prioritize and improve workplace safety to protect their employees.

The hope is that the actions taken by Mar-Jac Poultry in response to this tragedy will set a new standard for safety in the industry, preventing future accidents and ensuring that no other families have to endure such a devastating loss.

For more information on workplace safety and OSHA’s consultation services, visit OSHA's official website.

By AUTISM LATINO MAGAZINE in Association with BLOCK WORK MEDIA GROUP

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DATA SOURCE: Department of Labor reaches settlement with Hattiesburg poultry facility to enhance safety measures after 16-year-old suffers fatal injuries | Occupational Safety and Health Administration (osha.gov)