Man dies after accident at JBS beef plant in Nebraska

A JBS worker suffered fatal head injuries at the company's beef processing plant in Grand Island, Nebraska.

Roy Graber Headshot
The JBS beef processing plant in Grand Island, Nebraska. ( Courtesy JBS)
The JBS beef processing plant in Grand Island, Nebraska. ( Courtesy JBS)

A worker at the JBS beef plant in Grand Island, Nebraska, is dead after sustaining head injuries on the job.

Esteban Mantilla, 48, apparently had a piece of machinery fall on his head while at work. Emergency workers were called at 3:26 p.m., and shortly after that, Mantilla was transported to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to a report from KPTM.

The accident is being investigated by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

In reference to the accident, JBS issued the following statement: "On Friday, a tragic accident occurred at our Grand Island production facility resulting in the death of one of our team members. We are deeply saddened, and our thoughts and prayers are with our team member’s family, co-workers and friends. We are working closely with local officials and OSHA to investigate the incident, and we are grateful to the emergency personnel for their quick response. We will be providing support to the family during this difficult time. Out of respect to our team member and the family, we will not provide further comment."

JBS recently invested $95 million to expand the Grand Island beef plant. That project included new, improved animal handling facilities, a state-of-the-art, temperature-controlled harvest floor and facility reconfiguration designed to improve team member experience, food safety and product quality. The company earlier stated that the 107,000 square-foot expansion and facility enhancements will better position the company to sustainably meet evolving customer and consumer expectations for U.S. beef products. 

Operations at the Grand Island plant were disrupted in September 2021 because of a fire. The fire broke out in the rendering area of the plant on September 12, but the facility was back to full production two days later.

The Grand Island plant is responsible for processing about 5% of the United States beef supply.

In addition to being a major beef producer, JBS is also the world’s largest poultry producer. 

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