Tragic Death at Mar-Jac Plant Sparks O.S.H.A. Investigation

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (O.S.H.A.) is investigating the Mar-Jac Poultry processing plant in Mississippi after a 16-year-old boy died in a workplace accident. The underage worker, Duvan Tomas Perez, became ensnared in a machine he was cleaning. Federal labor laws prohibit people under 18 from operating and cleaning meat processing equipment, and Mississippi state labor laws ban minors from working in packing industries or positions involving meat and poultry processing. The plant claimed it was unaware of Duvan's age and stated that it relied on staffing companies to verify the legal qualifications of job applicants. This incident has sparked a conversation about labor practices in high-risk industries, and it is not the first workplace incident at the Mar-Jac plant.