The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration said Tuesday it cited a poultry processing plant following the death of a 16-year-old sanitation worker at a Mississippi plant in July.
OSHA cited Gainesville, Georgia-based Mar-Jac Poultry MS LLC after the teen worker, on contract with Onin Staffing LLC, was pulled into a machine while sanitizing the still-energized equipment at a plant in Hattiesburg.
The business was cited for 14 serious violations and three other-than-serious violations and issued proposed penalties of $212,646.
OSHA said the company failed to ensure an energy control procedure included specific steps for blocking and securing portions of the machinery while workers conducted cleaning operations.
Mar-Jac Poultry was cited in May 2021 for a similar fatality.
The Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division opened a child labor investigation following the OSHA citation.
Mar-Jac Poultry, which operates facilities in Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi, has 15 business days to contest the citation and proposed penalties.