Current:Home > ScamsMississippi poultry plant settles with OSHA after teen’s 2023 death -MoneyBase
Mississippi poultry plant settles with OSHA after teen’s 2023 death
View
Date:2025-04-13 21:18:23
HATTIESBURG, Miss. (AP) — A Mississippi poultry processing plant has agreed to a settlement with the U.S. Department of Labor that requires it to pay $164,814 in fines and put in place enhanced safety measures following the death of a 16-year-old boy at the facility.
The agreement, announced Friday in a news release, comes after an investigation of Mar-Jac Poultry by the department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration into the death of an underaged worker who was pulled into a machine as they cleaned it July 14, 2023.
“Tragically, a teenage boy died needlessly before Mar-Jac Poultry took required steps to protect its workers,” said OSHA Regional Administrator Kurt Petermeyer in Atlanta. “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.”
“Mar-Jac was aware of these safety problems for years and had been warned and fined by OSHA, yet did nothing. Hopefully, Mar-Jac will follow through this time so that no other worker is killed in such a senseless manner,” Jim Reeves, an attorney for the victim’s family, told WHLT-TV.
The victim’s family sued Mar-Jac Poultry MS, LLC, and Onin Staffing earlier this year. The lawsuit alleges that Perez was killed due to Mar-Jac ignoring safety regulations and not turning off machinery during sanitation. The suit also claims Onin Staffing was negligent in illegally assigning the 16-year-old to work at the plant.
Headquartered in Gainesville, Georgia, Mar-Jac Poultry has raised live birds for poultry production since 1954 at facilities in Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi for food service customers in the U.S and abroad, the DOL’s news release said.
A telephone call Friday to the company seeking comment about the settlement was not answered.
veryGood! (3)
Related
- 'Squid Game' without subtitles? Duolingo, Netflix encourage fans to learn Korean
- Jury convicts man with ties to ‘boogaloo’ movement in 2020 killing of federal security officer
- State trooper indicted, accused of 'brutally beating' 15-year-old who played ding dong ditch prank
- See Kylie Jenner and Timothée Chalamet’s Paris Fashion Week Date Night
- How to watch the 'Blue Bloods' Season 14 finale: Final episode premiere date, cast
- Michigan mom sentenced up to 5 years in prison for crash into pond that killed her 3 sons
- Can't buy me love? Think again. New Tinder $500-a-month plan offers heightened exclusivity
- Smooth as Tennessee whiskey: Jack Daniel's releases rare new single malt. How to get it.
- San Francisco names street for Associated Press photographer who captured the iconic Iwo Jima photo
- Police chief in Massachusetts charged with insider trading will resign
Ranking
- Angelina Jolie nearly fainted making Maria Callas movie: 'My body wasn’t strong enough'
- Las Vegas hospitality workers could go on strike as union holds authorization vote
- Capitol rioter who trained for a ‘firefight’ with paintball gets over four years in prison
- A history of government shutdowns: The 14 times funding has lapsed since 1980
- Could Bill Belichick, Robert Kraft reunite? Maybe in Pro Football Hall of Fame's 2026 class
- Spain charges Shakira with tax evasion in second case, demanding more than $7 million
- David McCallum, NCIS and The Man from U.N.C.L.E. star, dies at age 90
- 5 numbers to watch for MLB's final week: Milestones, ugly history on the horizon
Recommendation
House passes bill to add 66 new federal judgeships, but prospects murky after Biden veto threat
Brooke Hogan Shares Why She Didn’t Attend Dad Hulk Hogan’s Wedding
In Sweden, 2 explosions rip through dwellings and at least 1 is reportedly connected to a gang feud
Massachusetts lawmakers unveil sweeping $1 billion tax relief package
Selena Gomez engaged to Benny Blanco after 1 year together: 'Forever begins now'
A history of government shutdowns: The 14 times funding has lapsed since 1980
United Farm Workers endorses Biden, says he’s an ‘authentic champion’ for workers and their families
'They can't buy into that American Dream': How younger workers are redefining success