OSHA Inspection: TYSON FOODS, INC.

Issued

Nov 26, 2002

Abate by

Dec 9, 2002

Penalty

Initial $7,000

General-duty citation text

Section 5(a)(1) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970:  The
employer did not
furnish employment and a place of employment which were free from
recognized hazards that
were causing or likely to cause death or serious physical harm to
employees in that employees
were exposed to heat related illnesses such as heat stress, heat stroke,
heat exhaustion, heat
fatigue, heat syncope and heat cramps due to high heat levels during work
performed while
collecting chickens:
a.On or about June 4, 2002, employees who were collecting chickens in a
chicken
barn located on the Cypress R Farm (Route 4, Box 471, Starke, Fl.) were
exposed to heat stroke. At this site, there was no work regime with rest
periods,
no cool area for rest, and no trained personnel to recognize the symptoms
of heat
stress and treat workers. This resulted in an employee sustaining a heat
stroke,
a serious heat-related illness, and subsequently dying the next day. The
ambient
air temperature recorded by the Gainesville Municipal Airport between the
hours
of 12:53pm and 2:53pm was 93.2 F.
Among other, feasible and acceptable abatement methods to correct this
hazard
include:
1. Acclimate employees to the heat through short exposures followed by
longer
periods of work in the hot environment to reduce heat stress.  New
employees
and workers returning from an absence of two weeks or more should have
5-day
period of acclimatization. This period should begin with 50 percent of the
normal
workload and time exposure the first day and gradually building up to 100
percent
on the fifth day.
2.  Provide engineering controls such as cooling fans to increase
evaporative
cooling in hot conditions and a cool area for heat-affected employees to
rest and
cool down when symptoms of heat illness are recognized or reported by
employees.
3.  Provide personal cooling devices or cooling garments to reduce the
hazards
of heat exposure for workers.
4.  Provide training on a heat stress prevention program to ensure that
workers
are aware of the need to replace fluids and salt lost through sweat and can
recognize dehydration, exhaustion, fainting, heat cramps, salt deficiency,
heat
exhaustion, and heat stroke as heat disorders.   The training should
include
information that some types of medication put employees at greater risk
for
heat
illnesses.  Supervisors should be trained to detect early signs of heat
stress and
should permit workers to interrupt their work if they are extremely
uncomfortable.
ABATEMENT CERTIFICATION IS REQUIRED.TION

Issued

Nov 26, 2002

Abate by

Jan 15, 2003