Mississippi Poultry Plant Cited for Safety Violations Leading to Teen's Death

OSHA proposes $212,646 in penalties as separate child labor investigation continues.

Mar-Jac Poultry, a Mississippi poultry processing plant, has been cited by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) for safety violations that led to the death of a 16-year-old worker.
The teen was pulled into a machine while cleaning it in July 2023, marking the second fatal incident at the plant in just over two years.
OSHA found that safety procedures to disconnect power to the machine and prevent it from unintentionally starting during cleaning were not followed, despite a manager supervising the area.
OSHA has proposed $212,646 in penalties for 14 serious and three other-than-serious violations.
A separate child labor investigation by the Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division is currently underway.