OSHA investigating Jennie-O plant where illnesses occurred

October 24, 2014

From WATTAgNet:The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is working on an inspection of a Jennie-O Turkey Store processing plant in Willmar, Minnesota, where more than two dozen workers became ill on October 17. OSHA is presently gathering information to determine what may have caused so many people to get sick, said James Honerman, spokesman for the state's OSHA division, part of the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry."Minnesota OSHA Compliance will ... review what factors contributed to or caused the incident and then determine whether existing OSHA standards were violated," said Honerman. "The goal is to reduce hazards to workers and avoid a recurrence of similar accidents."The plant was evacuated after workers were displaying symptoms of illness, including coughing and vomiting. The affected employees all worked in the same area of the plant.Officials from Jennie-O Turkey Store and the Willmar Fire Department inspected the plant to check for any chemical leaks, but none were found. Tests to find carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and ammonia were negative.Honerman said OSHA would aim to close the inspection within a few months and said that if work hazards are found, citations or penalties from OSHA are possible. The plant’s last routine inspection, according to OSHA records, was conducted in February 2013 and did not yield any citations.

Willmar Jennie-O plant gets the once-over from OSHA

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is visiting Willmar's Jennie-O Turkey Store processing plant this week after 24 workers began coughing and vomiting last Friday, reports Nicole Hovatter of the West Central Tribune. This year's deer harvest is going to be smaller than previous years, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources says in a story picked up by the Brainerd Dispatch.

After illnesses, Willmar Jennie-O plant OSHA inspection begins

An investigator from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration began work Monday at the Jennie-O Turkey Store processing plant in Willmar where more than two dozen employees became ill Friday evening. The first goal of OSHA's inspection is to gather information and determine what may have caused the mass medical situation, said James Honerman, spokesman for the state's OSHA division, part of the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry.

OSHA Inspects Willmar Jennie-O Turkey Plant

An Occupational Safety and Health Administration inspector is trying to determine whether any federal safety violations occurred at the Jennie-O turkey processing plant in Willmar where more than a dozen employees were sickened. Honerman says there's no timeframe on how long the inspection will take.