Salisbury, Md. (Friday, April 21, 2017) — Associates at Perdue’s Lewiston, N.C., operation achieved a safety milestone on March 20, 2017, after working two million production hours without experiencing an Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recordable lost-time case. Counting toward the milestone began Sept. 13, 2016. 

To celebrate, the operation will be giving each associate a specially designed T-shirt featuring a winning design created by an associate as part of a contest.

“The Lewiston associates take great pride in having a safe place to work and continue to work safely every day,” said Jeff Stalls, Lewiston’s director of operations. “I’m very proud of all members of the Lewiston team for reaching this milestone.” 

Perdue has a standard, companywide safety program that encourages active employee participation and input. Associates take part in safety committees, which meet regularly to discuss safety issues, as 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 condition exists.  In addition, every associate attends safety awareness training, and is encouraged to look for and report any potential hazard.

Perdue is a leader in workplace safety among all North Carolina 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 2015, the lost-time rate for all North Carolina 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 1.10 per 100 workers annually, while Perdue’s companywide rate during that year was 0.19 per 100 associates. As of March 2017, Perdue’s lost-time rate was 0.28 per 100 associates.

We’re a third-generation, family owned, U.S. food and agriculture company. Through our belief in responsible food and agriculture, we are empowering consumers, customers and farmers through trusted choices in products and services. 

We focus on continuously improving everything we do, constantly learning, and sharing those insights across different production methods. That innovative approach is driving change throughout the company and onto farms. This continuous advancement is leading us toward our vision of becoming the most trusted name in food and agricultural products.

The PERDUE® brand is the number-one brand of fresh chicken in the U.S., and Perdue AgriBusiness is an international agricultural products and services company. As we approach our 100th anniversary in 2020, our path forward is about getting better, not just bigger. We never use drugs for growth promotion in raising poultry and livestock, and we are actively advancing our animal welfare programs. Our brands are leaders in no-antibiotics-ever chicken, turkey and pork, and in USDA-certified organic chicken. We’ve increased our support for the family farm by creating new markets, including specialty crops. Through agricultural services, we give farmers more options for the acre, including conversion to organic production and products and services that increase the sustainability of conventional agriculture. Learn more at www.perduefarms.com.