The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has attributed the death of a 16-year-old worker at a Mississippi slaughterhouse, which supplies chicken to Chick-fil-A, directly to the facility.
The teenager, Duvan Pérez, lost his life in July after being sucked into machinery while cleaning the deboning area of the Mar-Jac Poultry plant in Hattiesburg. OSHA, an agency within the US Labor Department, cited Mar-Jac Poultry for 14 serious violations and proposed fines exceeding $200,000.
Tragic Loss and Violations
OSHA Regional Administrator Kurt Petermeyer expressed concern over Mar-Jac’s failure to implement safety standards, stating, “The company’s inaction has directly led to this terrible tragedy, which has left so many to mourn this child’s preventable death.” Pérez became the second person to die in a similar accident at the plant within a two-year period.
According to OSHA officials, Pérez’s hand got caught in the machinery, pulling his body into the equipment.
Despite a Mar-Jac manager supervising the area, safety procedures to disconnect power were not utilized. Mar-Jac Poultry declined to comment on the OSHA findings but previously asserted that all safety procedures were followed.
In October, Mar-Jac attorney Larry Stine stated that the company had thoroughly investigated the accident, attributing the tragedy to neither safety nor human resources errors. He emphasized the implementation of aggressive measures to prevent similar accidents and the hiring of underage workers.
Chick-fil-A, a recipient of chicken supplies from Mar-Jac, is yet to comment on the OSHA findings. However, in October, the company spokesperson mentioned a review of procedures to hold suppliers to high safety standards.
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OSHA Probes Teen Worker’s Death
Following Pérez’s death, two Labor Department investigations were initiated. OSHA focused on the circumstances of the teenager’s death, while the Wage and Hour Division examined the illegal hiring of a minor for hazardous work. The second investigation remains ongoing.
NBC News previously reported that Pérez was hired using the false identity of a 32-year-old man through a third-party staffing agency. The federal government prohibits the hiring of anyone under 18 in slaughterhouses due to the inherent dangers of the job.
The tragedy has drawn attention to the increasing incidence of child labor violations across industries. The Labor Department, which has seen a doubling of child labor cases since 2019, has more than 800 ongoing investigations in 47 states. In September, the department sought public assistance in its child labor investigation at Mar-Jac, reaching out to current and former employees for information.
Mar-Jac Poultry now faces substantial fines, sparking questions about how the poultry industry and other sectors will respond to the growing concerns over child labor and workplace safety.
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