OSHA Reaches Settlement with Mar-Jac Poultry Over Death of 16-Year-Old Worker

OSHA has reached a settlement agreement with Mar-Jac Poultry, a Hattiesburg, MS-based processing plant, which requires the company to pay $164,814 in fines.

The company is also required to implement enhanced safety measures to protect their employees from well-known machine hazards. 

In January, OSHA found that on July 14, 2023, a contract worker employed by Onin Staffing, LLC was performing a deep clean of the deboning area at the Mar-Jac Poultry MS, LLC plant. While sanitizing the still-energized machine, the teen was caught in the rotating shaft and sprockets and pulled in, sustaining fatal injuries. 

Investigators found that – despite a manager’s supervision in and around the area prior to and during the fatal incident –  lockout/tagout procedures were not utilized to disconnect power to the machine and a lockout/tagout device was not used to prevent the machine from unintentionally starting during the cleaning.

In addition to abating all violations cited by OSHA, Mar-Jac Poultry MS LLC must implement the following enhancements:

• Add another properly trained supervisor to the sanitation shift.
• Provide workers exposed to lockout/tagout and machine guarding hazards with updated training.
• Require the plant’s manager and safety director to complete OSHA’s 30-hour general industry training and plant supervisors to complete OSHA’s 10-hour training.
• Institute a system for assigning, identifying and issuing locks to authorized employees performing lockout/tagout functions and update programs and training to reflect this requirement.
• Conduct a risk and hazard assessment to evaluate the safety exposures and hazards associated with current lockout/tagout procedures for the sanitation shift. The assessment must include a review of any incidents, including near misses, injuries and unexpected start-ups or malfunctions of machinery.
• Perform monthly lockout/tagout safety audits for the sanitation shift for one year and provide proof to OSHA, including what steps the employer is taking to reduce hazards in response to the audits.

“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, in a statement. “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.”