The local poultry plant, Mar-Jac, in Gainesville Georgia was recently fined almost $380,000 by OSHA. OSHA proposed $379,800 in penalties against Mar-Jac Poultry Inc., of Gainsville, Georgia, for safety and health violations. The company was cited with four willful violations with a proposed penalty of $252,000. Mar-Jac Poultry has also failed to perform required compliance audits. OSHA defines a willful violation as one committed with plain indifference to or intentional disregard for employee safety and health.
Additionally, Mar-Jac Poultry was cited with 37 serious safety and health violations with $127,800 in proposed penalties. The safety hazards included:
- a failure to place proper machine guarding,
- uncovered floor holes,
- obstructed emergency exit routes,
- a lockout/tagout device not being affixed to electrical disconnect, and
- portable fire extinguishers not being readily available.
It was also cited for failing to develop an emergency response plan for employees responding to ammonia emergencies. A serious citation is issued when there is substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result from a hazard about which the employer knew or should have known.
One day after receiving almost $400,000 in penalties from citations issued by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Mar-Jac Poultry released a statement disputing the violations as “unfounded” and said it intends to contest them.
Ramos & Law, we have represented many injured workers who were at similar poultry or chicken processing plants. If you have been injured, contact Ramos & Law for a free consultation.