Mississippi Poultry Plant Settles Fines with OSHA after Horrific Death of Teen Worker

Many Mississippians are likely aware of the tragic and horrific story of Duvan Perez, the 16-year-old worker who was killed on the job at the Mar-Jac Poultry plant in Hattiesburg, Mississippi last year. However, what some Mississippians may not know is that in the aftermath of the teen’s terrible workplace death, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration has been investigating with a view to determining how much Mar-Jac Poultry should be fined for the safety violations that led to the young man’s tragic workplace death. Last week on Wednesday, August 28, the United States Department of Labor announced that Mar-Jac Poultry has now settled with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

At the outset, the gruesome workplace accident that took young Duvan Perez’s life occurred on the evening of July 14, 2023. That evening, Perez was tasked with cleaning a poultry deboning machine. Unfortunately, the deboning machine turned on while Perez was cleaning and he was sucked into the machine. Perez was killed as a result of the accident. Mar-Jac has now agreed to pay $165,000 to settle the fines that have been levied against it for safety violations that led to the fatal accident that took Perez’s life. In addition to paying the fines, Mar-Jac Poultry also must address and correct the safety violations that led to Perez’s death, and must implement more safety “enhancements” to prevent future accidents, such as lockout/tagout procedures for making sure equipment is not on and will not turn on before maintenance and other work tasks are done. Kurt Petermeyer, the Regional Administrator at the Occupational Safety and Health Administration said of the terrible case, “Tragically, a teenage boy died needlessly before Mar-Jac Poultry took required steps to protect its workers…Enhanced supervision and increased training can go a long way toward minimizing risks faced by workers in meat processing facilities.”

Injured Workers Have Rights Under Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Laws

In light of the update in the tragic workplace death case of Duvan Perez, it is important for Mississippi workers to understand that they may have rights and options to compensation under Mississippi workers’ compensation laws if they are injured on the job and can no longer work. Under Mississippi workers’ compensation laws, most workers are entitled to money compensation for their workplace injuries. Compensation under Mississippi workers’ compensation laws may include wage replacement compensation, medical expense reimbursement, vocational rehabilitation training, and more. In order to determine whether you may be entitled to Mississippi workers’ compensation benefits for your Mississippi workplace accident, it is best to speak with an experienced Mississippi workers’ compensation lawyer as soon as possible about your case.

The experienced Mississippi workers’ compensation lawyers at the law firm Lunsford Baskin & Priebe, PLLC are here to help Mississippi workers get compensation due for their serious workplace injuries. Do not hesitate to speak with an experienced Mississippi workers’ compensation lawyer about your case today. Contact Lunsford Baskin & Priebe, PLLC and speak to a lawyer about your rights and options now.

Source:

mississippitoday.org/2024/08/16/mar-jac-settles-with-osha-over-teen-workers-death/