Associates at Perdue’s cook operation in Bridgewater, Va., achieved a safety milestone recently after working one million consecutive production hours without experiencing an Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recordable lost-time case. Counting toward the milestone began October 17, 2018.

“I’m proud of our associates for achieving such a significant workplace safety milestone,” said Kenny Lambert, director of Perdue’s Bridgewater plant, which employs 520 associates. “Perdue has a strong, industry-leading safety program, but it requires the cooperation and commitment of every associate to make it successful. It’s truly a team effort.”

Perdue has a standard, companywide safety program that encourages active employee participation and input. Associates take part in safety committees, which meet regularly to discuss safety issues, as well as perform safety inspections before the start of each shift. Associates have the authority to stop production or prevent start-up if any unsafe condition exists. In addition, every associate attends safety awareness training, and is encouraged to look for and report any potential hazard.

Perdue is a leader in workplace safety
Perdue is a leader in workplace safety among all Virginia industries and all industries nationwide combined. According to statistics released by the U.S. Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, during their most recently reported year in 2019, the lost-time rate for all Virginia goods-producing industries combined was 1.20 per 100 workers.

According to those same Bureau of Labor statistics, the nationwide lost-time rate for all goods-producing industries combined for that same year was 0.90 per 100 workers annually, while Perdue’s companywide rate during that year was 0.31 per 100 associates. As of November 2019, Perdue’s lost-time rate was 0.31 per 100 associates.

Source: Perdue Farms