Dive Brief:
- Case Farms, a prominent fast-food and supermarket chicken supplier, has been charged with 55 health and safety violations by the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA). OSHA has fined Case Farms $861,500 in penalties and put the company on its Severe Violator Enforcement Program.
- OSHA had performed an investigation of Case Farms in February which turned up citations for "amputation hazards; fall hazards due to non-functioning fall arrest systems, unprotected platforms, and wet work surfaces; lack of personal protective equipment; violations of electrical safety standards; improperly stored oxygen cylinders; and a lack of emergency eyewash stations," according to an OSHA news release.
- In a statement to The Hill, the company said, "Case Farms values its employees and is committed to ensuring a safe and healthy work environment for its associates."
Dive Insight:
One OSHA employee called Case Farms "an outrageously dangerous place to work," citing more than 350 health and safety citations the company has received in the past 25 years, despite assuring OSHA that it would eliminate serious hazards, according to the news release.
Employee safety is paramount to food and beverage companies. This was evidenced by the recent settlement from Bumble Bee Foods following the death of an employee. The settlement was the highest payment of its kind in California, according to District Attorney Jackie Lacey.