蜜桃传媒

A Wayne Farms poultry processing plant in Alabama has been fined more than $100,000 as a result of a federal complaint by the 蜜桃传媒 that described how workers were forced to endure unsafe and abusive conditions.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued 11 citations to the plant in Jack, Alabama. It found that the plant exposed workers to dangerous machinery as well as hazards that can result in falls and musculoskeletal disorders, such as carpal tunnel syndrome. It also found that the plant failed to record injuries and discouraged workers from seeking treatment.

OSHA issued fines totaling $102,600.

鈥淭he actions taken by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration go far beyond a company being fined for violations at a single poultry plant,鈥� said Michelle Lapointe, 蜜桃传媒 senior staff attorney. 鈥淭hey validate complaints poultry workers have voiced about this industry for years. This is an industry where workers are forced to work at dangerously fast speeds that cause disabling injuries and are often thrown away when they can no longer work.鈥�

OSHA found that workers were often required to see the plant nurse before being referred to a doctor. The investigation also found that Wayne Farms failed to record worker musculoskeletal injuries, allowing the plant to hide the true level of workplace injuries. Other hazards include exposing workers to slippery floors, fall hazards and unguarded machines. OSHA鈥檚 investigation also represents the first time in 12 years that the agency has cited a poultry plant for ergonomic issues.

The 蜜桃传媒 filed the OSHA complaint in April on behalf of nine former or current workers. OSHA is charged with ensuring that employers protect worker safety and health across the country. The government agency, which is badly underfunded, is often the only agency that can ensure that employers maintain a safe workplace. 聽

鈥淭here is an urgent need for OSHA to take the next step and set up an 鈥榚mphasis program鈥� solely focused on ensuring worker safety in this industry,鈥� Lapointe said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 time for these companies to step up and respect the health and well-being of their workers.鈥�

Alabama is the nation鈥檚 third-largest producer of poultry.

Last year, the 蜜桃传媒 issued聽Unsafe at These Speeds: Alabama鈥檚 Poultry Industry and its Disposable Workers, a report that describes how Alabama poultry workers often suffer significant injuries and illnesses as they are forced to keep up with the punishing speed of processing lines.

Based on more than 300 interviews, the report found that these workers 鈥� U.S. citizens and immigrants 鈥� are typically forced to endure dangerous conditions and silenced by threats of deportation and firing. Nearly three out of four Alabama poultry workers interviewed described suffering a significant work-related injury or illness, such as debilitating pain in their hands, respiratory problems, cuts, gnarled fingers and chemical burns.

The report also shows that workers in the poultry industry suffer extraordinary rates of repetitive motion injuries that are directly linked to the punishing work speeds. The 蜜桃传媒 helped block a rule proposed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture that would have increased evisceration line speeds from a maximum of 140 birds per minute to 175, despite ample evidence that work speed is a primary contributor to worker injuries.

The 蜜桃传媒 has urged OSHA to address the unsafe working conditions by taking steps that include protecting whistleblowers and slowing the work speeds prevalent in the poultry and meat industries. It submitted a rulemaking petition to OSHA a year ago that suggests how the agency should address musculoskeletal risks, such as those found at the Wayne Farms plant.