Perdue Scores Big on Safety
Perdue Farms’ facilities in 11 states, including a dozen of the company’s food-producing plants, have been recognized by the Joint Industry Safety and Health Council for consistently implementing innovative and effective safety and health processes and systems.
Perdue received the awards at the 2016 National Safety Conference for the Poultry Industry in Destin Beach, Fla. Perdue facilities received the highest number of awards given by the council.
'Culture of Safety Engagement'
“At Perdue Farms, our safety programs create a culture of safety engagement that involves all of our associates,” said COO Randy Day. “Annually, we set goals around people, products, planet and productivity, and we always put people first in that equation. We believe there’s nothing more important than providing a safe, supportive and healthy working environment where our associates can be successful and return safely to their families at the end of the workday.”
The company’s food-producing facilities that received the Award of Distinction — the council’s highest honor — included plants in Accomac, Va.; Concord, N.C.; Cromwell, Ky.; Dillon, S.C.; Georgetown, Del.; Monterey, Tenn.; Rockingham, N.C.; and two plants in Perry, Ga. This marks the fifth straight year that the Concord, Dillon, Georgetown, Monterey, Rockingham and both Perry plants have earned the Award of Distinction. The company’s hatcheries in Cromwell; Dillon; Hurlock, Md.; Lakeview, Calif.; and Murfreesboro, N.C., also received the Award of Distinction.
The award criteria required these facilities to maintain their key Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) safety metrics — Total Recordable Incident Rate (TRIR), Days Away, Restricted or Transferred (DART), and Lost Work Day Incident Rate (LWDIR) — at levels at least 50 percent better than the industry average for three consecutive years. Award consideration was also based on each facility’s written explanation of its safety programs and processes.
Perdue facilities that were recognized with the Award of Honor were food-producing plants in Bridgewater, Va., and Lewiston, N.C., along with feed mills in Forsyth, Ga., and Salisbury, Md., and a hatchery in Westover, Md. These facilities maintained their OSHA safety metrics at least 25 percent better than the industry for at least three straight years. The Bridgewater plant is a four-time recipient of the award.
In addition, Perdue facilities received the Award of Merit for maintaining their OSHA safety metrics at least 25 percent better than the industry for at least two consecutive years. Those locations were a food-producing plant in Milford, Del., and feed mills in Elkin, N.C., and Washington, Ind.
Award consideration was based on injury statistics over three years and an evaluation of written applications by an independent panel of judges.
“These 23 facilities are recognized based on performance and their world-class business practices related to safety processes,” said Frank Cruice, senior director of corporate safety and security for Perdue Farms. “Just to quality for consideration by the council for the Award of Distinction, each site had to maintain key OSHA safety metrics of at least 50 percent better than the poultry industry average for three consecutive years. This track record validates our associates’ commitment to ensure the safety of each other, and highlights the strength of our safety processes.”
Perdue’s company-wide OSHA Total Recordable Incident Rate is 2.51, compared with the current poultry industry rate of 4.30, and is also better than the Goods Producing rate of 4.00.
The Joint Industry Safety and Health Council comprises members from the U.S. Poultry and Egg Association, National Chicken Council and National Turkey Federation.
Salisbury, Md.-based Perdue Farms is a third-generation, family-owned, U.S. food and agriculture company with brands in no-antibiotics-ever chicken, turkey and pork, and in USDA-certified organic chicken.