Agriprocessors health and safety record at its production facilities in Postville, IA and Gordon, NE has been the subject of criticism from government agencies, the media and an independent commission of rabbis who inspected the plant. These groups noted deficiencies in areas such as wages and healthcare, training, and cafeteria and restroom facilities. Source documents have been made available for your viewing or download.

Health and Safety for workers at Agriprocessors’ Postville plant have been a matter of concern to the public since the Jewish Daily Forward made public alleged problems at the plant in their May 2006 article “In Iowa Meat Plant, Kosher 'Jungle' Breeds Fear, Injury, Short Pay,” an article for which its writer was nominated for a 2007 Gerald Loeb Award journalism award. The article exposed concerns about workplace issues at the plant including poor or no training, low wages, poor bathroom and cafeteria conditions and dangerous working conditions.

 

In response to the article, an independent Commission of Inquiry, composed mostly of rabbi’s, was formed to investigate the allegations and a report was issued in December 2006.  The report states that:

 

"The commission toured the plant and met with a wide variety of people in both labor and management, including Rabbi Sholom Mordecai Rubashkin, vice president of AgriProcessors, as well as other community leaders.

 

As a result of the numerous conversations, the commission concludes that there are significant issues of concern at the plant, including issues of health and safety. The commission findings included reports from the Department of Labor whose inspections revealed the following:

According to the Commission’s report the company had agreed to work with the Commission to address health and safety issues. However, in a May 2007 article reporting a class action lawsuit at the plant, the Jewish Daily Forward reported that “workers at the plant say that nothing has changed."

 

In 2006 alone, the plant was issued six violations by OSHA, two of them classified as “serious."

 

An examination of Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) workplace injury logs (known as OSHA 300 logs) at the plant reveal over five amputations from 2001-2005, two of them in 2005. In addition, the logs reveal dozens of other serious injuries such as broken bones, eye injuries and hearing loss. In July of 2007, the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) submitted a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request in order to obtain the most recent OSHA reports for the Postville plant.

 

Recently in March 2007, employees sued Agriprocessors for back wages under the Fair Labor Standards Safety Act (FLSA). According to the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier:

 

Employees filed the federal suit against Agriprocessors on March 23, claiming the company in Postville didn't pay them for time spent getting ready for work and for cleanup after a shift. That includes time spent changing into safety equipment, cleaning and sanitizing equipment and performing other activities integral to the plant's operation.

 

In 2006, OSHA issued nine “serious” citations at Agriprocessors’ Gordon, NE plant Local Pride.

 

Documents obtained by the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) International Union from the Occupational Health and Safety Administration through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) regarding inspection at Local Pride revealed a variety of violations at the plant, including:

 

·        No written program for logout/tagout (For an explanation of lockout/tagout please visit OSHA's lockout/tagout page at (http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/controlhazardousenergy/index.html)  

·        The employer is using corrosive chemicals without any form of quick drenching facility in the area. The chemicals are used as part of a sanitizing methodology for the meat processing area.

·        The employer failed to ensure that each operator of powered industrial truck had been trained in the manner described in the standard.

·        An auger conveyor was not guarded to protect employees from contact with moving parts.

·        The restrainer did not have guards installed to protect employees from contact with the moving parts.

·        An extension cord is run through a wall opening and is used to power a fan above the parasitic sprayer.

·        Extension cords were attached to conduit using nylon zip ties to power box fans.

·        The employer failed to ensure that any employee that was performing electrically related work as outlined in subpart S had been trained as required by this standard:

Standard: Employees shall be trained and familiar with the safety-elated work practices required by 29 CFR 1910.331 through 335 that pertain to their respective job assignments

·        Employees were not provided effective information and training as specified in 29 CFR 1910.1200(h)(1) and (2) on hazardous chemicals in their work area at the time of their initial assignment and whenever a new hazard was introduced into their work area:

Throughout the company : The employer failed to provide training as prescribed in the paragraph above. Employees are exposed to chemicals such as but not limited to Trollex, LLQ-P, Saniwise Six, and Doom

·        OSHA 300 logs were not kept by the establishment and, according to OSHA, the plant manager informed them that “there have been a number of injuries where the employee required medical assistance beyond first aid (suture).”