LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Tyson Foods Inc. entered a guilty plea Tuesday and agreed to pay a $500,000 fine for violations that resulted in the death of a worker at a plant in Texarkana.
Springdale-based Tyson, the world’s largest meat company, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to a “willful violation of an OSHA standard resulting in the death of an employee,” prosecutors said. The violation is the most serious offense under Occupational Safety and Health Administration regulations, according to the Justice Department.
An accident at a facility that converts poultry products into animal feed killed worker Jason Kelley on Oct. 10, 2003.
In addition to the $500,000 fine, the company was fined a separate $436,000 by OSHA in 2004 over the same incident. Tyson spokesman Gary Mickelson says the company is in talks about a possible settlement of the OSHA levy.
Kelley was killed when he was exposed to hydrogen sulfide gas while repairing a leaky piece of equipment. Another plant worker and two emergency responders were hospitalized after they tried to help Kelley, and another two workers were treated at the scene.
Mickelson provided a statement in which the company expressed regret.
“This was a tragic accident and we remain saddened by the loss of Jason Kelley. We want people to know we have implemented measures to help prevent an accident like this from happening again. Our efforts have included changes in the production process, new ventilation and engineering controls, the use of monitoring and alarm systems, and expanded worker training,” the statement said.
The death occurred at the River Valley Animal Foods plant, where Tyson recycles protein and fats for livestock feed and inclusion in pet food. The Justice Department says the rendering process includes high-pressure steam processors, called hydrolyzers, that are used to create feather meal from poultry feathers.
A product of the feather decomposition is hydrogen sulfide gas, which is toxic. The government said the hydrolyzers needed frequent maintenance and that workers were exposed to hydrogen sulfide gas as they worked. A statement from prosecutors said Tyson safety personnel and management were aware at the time that the gas was present at the facility and that Tyson did not take enough steps to reduce exposure within prescribed limits. The company also failed to have controls or protective equipment and did not provide effective training, the government said.
Prosecutors said an identical exposure injured a worker at the facility in March 2002. The River Valley Animal Foods plant employs about 100 people, Mickelson said.
Local News
<img src="http://www.joplinglobeonline.com/images/zope/new.gif" border=0> 2:16 p.m. Tyson agrees to $500,000 fine over worker death
- Local News
-
-
City wants to buy weather radios for those without
Phil Jones had been working on a construction project outside his house all day on May 22 and was unaware that a tornado watch had been issued. Once he was inside, though, his weather radio went off, and he learned that a warning had been issued.
-
Architects present preliminary JHS plans at community meeting
Reaction appeared mostly supportive Thursday night among the roughly 50 people who attended a community meeting at which architects presented their preliminary site plans for the future combined Joplin High School and Franklin Technology Center.
-
Confessed shooter testifies against co-defendants in Pittsburg murder case
Rickey Smith testified Thursday that as he came in the back door of Ryan Bailey’s home in Pittsburg with a 9 mm pistol in his hand, Bailey looked up from the couch in his living room.
-
School district’s proposed street-closing plan questioned
Plans to close some streets near the proposed Joplin High School drew questions, including a challenge from a former Joplin mayor, during a public hearing this week.
-
Neosho council approves new golf cart contract
The purchase of golf carts was back on the agenda this week for the Neosho City Council. City Attorney Steve Hays said there were errors in the financing terms that were part of a bid approved last month for the purchase of 55 gas-powered carts from E-Z-Go for $144,195, so the purchase of a new fleet was rebid.
-
Mike Pound: Spirit of competition evident during double-overtime game
When I played basketball in high school, I played in several very close games.
Now, some people who may have known me in high school are probably laughing right now and saying, “What Mike meant to say is that when he was in high school, he came very close to playing in some games.” -
Mo. optometrist filed $40 million refund claim
A southwest Missouri optometrist who filed a tax return claiming a $40 million refund has been sentenced to four years and three months in federal prison.
-
Okla. receives waiver from No Child Left Behind
Oklahoma’s top education official reacted with glee Thursday with the announcement that the state is one of 10 states being granted a waiver from the federal No Child Left Behind law that requires students be proficient in reading and math by 2014 — but focused on getting students to “just pass the tests.”
-
Kan. House approves bipartisan redistricting bill
Power in the Kansas House is likely to shift next year from rural parts of the state to the Kansas City area after members overwhelmingly approved a bipartisan bill Thursday for redrawing their districts.
-
Fugitive in 1993 British heist arrested in Ozark
A man suspected of stealing about $1.5 million from a security van in England in 1993 has been arrested in southwest Missouri.
- More Local News Headlines
-
Denver's Largest-Ever Drug Bust Nets Dozens
Marines: No Punishment for Nazi-like Flag
Vets Look to Translate Military Skills Into Jobs
Expert: Removing LA School's Staff 'Appropriate'
Raw Video: School Bus Burst Into Flames
LA School Reopens Amid Sex Abuse Scandal
$25B Settlement Reached Over Foreclosure Abuses
Pentagon: Allow Women Closer to Front Lines
Obama Gives Education Waivers to 10 States
Giffords Aide to Run for Her Seat
LA School in Sex Abuse Scandal Reopens
Winter Slamming North Asia, Parts of Europe
Syrian Forces Renew Bombardment of Homs
States, Banks Reach Foreclosure-abuse Settlement
Raw Video: Italy's Mount Etna Bursts Into Life
Greeks March; Angry Despite Debt Deal
Raw Video: U.S. Pullout Celebration
Raw Video: Annual Empire State Building Run-Up
Man Killed in Courthouse Shootout
Air Force Airlines: Leaders Get Polished Service
