DeLauro Calls on OSHA to Protect Poultry and Meatpacking Workers Suffering from Serious Occupational Hazards
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 23, 2016
CONTACT:
Ron Boehmer: 202-225-3661
DeLauro Calls on OSHA to Protect Poultry and Meatpacking Workers Suffering from Serious Occupational Hazards
WASHINGTON, DC — Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-03) today wrote to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration at the U.S. Department of Labor to call on the Administration to continue its regional and local emphasis program on worker safety in the poultry and meat industries. A May 2016 Government Accountability Office report found that workers in the industry continue to face dangerous conditions and are denied adequate medical treatment when they are injured on the job.
“The GAO report and recent OSHA findings are clear signs that increased OSHA enforcement in this industry is necessary to ensure the health and safety of American workers,” wrote DeLauro. “I call on OSHA to continue all the regional and local emphasis programs the agency initiated in 2015 and 2016 in the meat and poultry industry—and I urge you to consider implementing a National Emphasis Program.”
“All workers have the right to a safe workplace and no worker should have to sacrifice their safety for a paycheck,” concluded DeLauro.
May’s GAO report found that poultry processing and meatpacking workers continue to suffer from amputations, serious cuts, broken bones, concussions, chemical burns, and serious musculoskeletal disorders. Following its release, DeLauro led a letter from Members of Congress urging OSHA to continue its increased enforcement focus on occupational hazards faced by workers in the industry.
The full letter is available here.
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