June 22, 2015
Delaware poultry-processing plant exposed workers
to serious hazards including musculoskeletal injuries
OSHA proposes fines of $38K for Allen Harim Foods LLC
to serious hazards including musculoskeletal injuries
OSHA proposes fines of $38K for Allen Harim Foods LLC
HARBESON, Del. - Workers cutting chicken fat, bone
and cartilage eight hours a day at a Delaware poultry plant are
suffering musculoskeletal injuries caused by their jobs, an inspection
by the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health
Administration found.
Following the inspection at Allen Harim Foods' Harbeson plant, OSHA
cited the company for exposing employees on the debone line to
musculoskeletal disorder hazards. The agency determined that workers
performed prolonged, repetitive and forceful tasks without controls in
place to prevent injuries.
"Musculoskeletal injuries caused by these hazards in poultry plants
are too common," said Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational
Safety and Health Dr. David Michaels. "These types of injuries can be
prevented by implementing appropriate engineering and administrative
controls in the workplace, and when they occur, they must be treated
early with appropriate medical care to prevent the illness from
progressing."
In addition to the serious citation for the company's failure to
address the musculoskeletal disorder hazards, OSHA issued serious
citations for failing to designate emergency exits properly and to
ensure employees received training related to machinery that could
unexpectedly start up during service and maintenance. OSHA cited Allen
Harim Foods for a total of nine violations. Proposed penalties total
$38,000.
"The combination of musculoskeletal disorder hazards, lack of proper
medical treatment for musculoskeletal disorders and underreporting of
injuries at this plant must be addressed by the company," said Erin
Patterson, director of OSHA's Wilmington office. "Workers should not
have to work in pain, especially when these injuries are preventable."
Headquartered in Seaford, Allen Harim Foods has a total of 1,600
employees, with 960 workers at the Harbeson plant. In addition to the
Harbeson facility, the company operates a poultry-processing plant in
Cordova, Maryland; breeding operations in Liberty, North Carolina; and
hatcheries and a feed mill in Dagsboro and Seaford.
View the citations at: https://www.osha.gov/ooc/citations/AllenHarimFoodsLLC_1014956_06152015.pdf*.
The company has 15 business days from receipt of its citations and
proposed penalties to comply, request a conference with OSHA's area
director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.
To ask questions, obtain compliance assistance, file a complaint, or
report amputations, eye loss, workplace hospitalizations, fatalities or
situations posing imminent danger to workers, the public should call
OSHA's toll-free hotline at 800-321-OSHA (6742) or the agency's
Wilmington Area Office at 302-573-6518.
Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970,
employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces
for their employees.
OSHA's role is to ensure these conditions for
America's working men and women by setting and enforcing standards, and
providing training, education and assistance. For more information,
visit http://www.osha.gov.