Associates at Perdue’s cook operation in Monterey, Tennessee, achieved a safety milestone recently after working two million consecutive production hours without experiencing an Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recordable lost-time case. Counting toward the milestone began February 2018.
“Reaching two million safe work hours is a remarkable world-class achievement by our associations,” said Jeff Beckman, director of Perdue’s Monterey operation, which employs 730 associates. “It’s a tribute to the commitment every single associate in our operation places on working safety each day and watching out for one another.”
Beckman explained that Perdue has a standard companywide safety program that encourages active employee participation and input. Associates take part in safely committees, which meet regularly to discuss safety issues, was 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 conditions exists. In addition, every associates attends safety awareness training and is encouraged to look for and report any potential hazard.
Perdue is a leader in workplace safety among all Tennessee 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 Tennessee goods-producing industries combined was 0.90 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 August 2019, Perdue’s lost time rate was 0.31 per 100 associates.
