Salisbury, Md. (Thursday, May 25, 2017) – The combined commitment to workplace safety by Perdue and its associates netted NC Department of Labor Safety Awards for Perdue’s North Carolina operations, including all three plants in the state.
  

Associates at Perdue’s further-processing operations in Concord and Lewiston-Woodville received the Commissioner’s Gold Award for the fourth year in a row for no lost workdays and a DART rate that was at least 50 percent below the statewide rate for its industry. The DART rate includes cases of days away from work, restricted activity or job transfer.

The Concord team was also recognized for working two million consecutive production hours without an Occupational Safety and Health Administration lost-time injury in 2016, while the Lewiston team was recognized for a one-million-hour safety milestone.

 

Perdue’s harvest plant team in Rockingham received the Commissioners Gold Award for no lost workdays and a DART rate at least 50 percent below the statewide rate for its industry for the second consecutive year. The Perdue hatchery in Eagle Springs and feed mill in Candor received first-year Gold Awards.

“It’s really an honor for me to travel throughout the state and recognize employers such as Perdue who are making a commitment to their employees,” said Labor Commissioner Cherie Berry. “They are helping to make North Carolina workplaces some of the safest in the nation.” 

“At Perdue, we have a very strong safety program, but it’s important to recognize that it was our associates, and their daily commitment to working safely, who made this happen,” said Lester Gray, senior vice president of operations. “We encourage active participation and input from our associates to ensure we maintain a safe work environment. Associates have the authority to stop production or prevent start-up if any unsafe condition exists. Additionally, 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 with a lost-time less than one-fifth the average for the manufacturing sector and lost-time accidents one-fourth the average. 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 .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 .19 per 100 associates. As of March 2017, Perdue’s lost-time rate was .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.