A United States congresswoman has written to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), urging the agency to increase its enforcement at processing plants.
Rosa DeLauro, D-Connecticut, recently wrote a letter to OSHA in response to a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report that stated workers in the meat and poultry industry continue to face dangerous conditions and allegedly are denied adequate medical treatment when they are injured on the job, a press release from DeLauro’s office stated.
““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.”
Recent OSHA citations
Since July, OSHA has issued citations to Pilgrim’s, Tyson Foods, Keystone Foods, Koch Foods and Birdsboro Kosher Farms for alleged health and safety violations at their poultry plants.
DeLauro's previous concerns about animal agriculture
DeLauro has a long history of being critical of the animal agriculture industry, particulary in the area of food safety. She, along with Rep. Louise Slaughter, D-New York, in 2014 called on the USDA to close Foster Farms facilities after a Salmonella outbreak that caused numerous illnesses was traced to poultry processed at company facilities. The duo of U.S. congresswomen also proposed the Pathogens Reduction and Testing Reform Act in 2014.
