The U.S. Department of Labor said Wednesday it has reached a settlement agreement with a Mississippi poultry processing plant following the death of a young worker in July 2023.
A 16-year-old employee died after being caught inside a machine while cleaning the equipment at a plant in Hattiesburg, leading to a workplace safety investigation by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
Inspectors found that Gainesville, Georgia-based Mar-Jac Poultry MS LLC, which operates the plant, failed to implement required safety procedures that would have prevented the machine-related death.
The settlement agreement requires the company to pay $164,814 in penalties and implement enhanced safety measures to protect workers from machine hazards.
Mar-Jac Poultry must also conduct a risk and hazard assessment to evaluate the safety exposures associated with lockout-tagout procedures for sanitation workers.
The company has facilities in Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi.