Oakwood, GA – Five of Wayne Farms’ ten plants and three additional facilities were recently honored by the Joint Industry Safety and Health Council at the 2012 National Safety Conference for the Poultry Industry in Ponte Vedra, Florida for outstanding safety performance by implementing innovative and effective safety and health programs.
Three of the company’s facilities including the fresh processing plants in Union Springs, Alabama and Pendergrass, Georgia and the Decatur West further processing facility in Decatur, Alabama, received Awards of Distinction, the highest accolade offered.
The other category included the Award of Honor in which there were five Wayne Farms facilities recognized: the Troy, Alabama hatchery; Laurel, Mississippi feed mill; Danville, Arkansas hatchery and the two Decatur, Alabama further processing facilities.
In addition to traditional safety practices, Wayne Farms has implemented a behavior-based safety initiative called WorkSAFE, which focuses on helping employees identify unsafe behaviors and remain conscious of their environment and potentially dangerous situations.
“I am extremely proud of the safety programs in place across Wayne Farms and I credit the hard work and consistent attention offered by our dedicated safety teams,” Reggie McLee, Director of Safety for Wayne Farms said. “Our teams always keep workplace safety top of mind and are constantly looking for new and innovative ways to improve our already solid programs.”
Award consideration was based on injury statistics over a three year period and an evaluation of written applications describing the implementation of innovative safety and health programs.
The Joint Industry Safety and Health Council is comprised of members from the U.S. Poultry & Egg Association, National Chicken Council, and National Turkey Federation. Collectively, the three organizations represent companies that produce 95% of the nation’s poultry products and employ over 300,000 workers.
About Wayne Farms LLC
Wayne Farms LLC is the fifth-largest vertically integrated poultry producer in the United States with annual sales exceeding $1 billion. A subsidiary of Continental Grain Company, Wayne Farms owns and operates 10 fresh and further-processed facilities throughout the Southeast, produces more than 1 billion pounds of poultry products each year, and employs more than 8,900 individuals.
Source: Wayne Farms LLC