Teen worker killed at plant claimed to be 32

• A 16-year-old employee who used the identity of a 32-year-old man to get the job died after getting sucked into equipment at a Mississippi poultry plant
• Duvan Pérez was hired to clean up at Mar-Jac Poultry in Hattiesburg and died on July 14. Questions were then raised about his true age by a local Facebook news site, and he was soon determined to be 16.
• It’s illegal for minors to work in slaughterhouses, which OSHA deems among the most perilous workplaces in the country.
• The number of children working illegally has nearly doubled across all industries since 2019, according to the Labor Department.
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Houston roofer fined after worker died

• Two Houston-area contractors exposed employees to safety hazards by ignoring federal requirements to complete an engineering survey before the fatal roof collapse at Friendswood High School where one worker was killed and three others injured.
• OSHA determined that supervisors of ICI Construction Inc. and Emanuel Enterprises LLC failed to complete the survey and allowed demolition to continue, even after hazards became apparent to them.
• The agency issued citations to ICI Construction, the general contractor, and Emanuel Enterprises, the project’s demolition contractor, for willfully ignoring federal requirements to complete an engineering survey.
• OSHA assessed a total of $315,643 in proposed penalties, including $175,010 for Emanuel Enterprises LLC and $140,633 for ICI Construction Inc., both set by federal statute.
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OSHA walkaround rule can help businesses

• Workers in numerous industries across the country could benefit from a proposed rule by OSHA that would ensure more safety precautions.
• The agency walkaround rule would underscore workers’ right to have representatives of their choice participate in OSHA inspections in the wake of safety complaints or incidents like the one at the Ohio refinery.
• Some employers are trying to stop local unions from bringing in outside representatives for inspections.
• However, the walkaround rule could give workers a stronger voice and greater confidence in inspections.
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OSHA has the right to revoke state safety programs

• OSHA can launch a takeover of a state worker safety program if it isn’t “at least as effective as” the federal agency under federal law.
• OSHA conducts annual reviews of each state plan and finds problems in all. Some common issues include state agencies losing experienced staff members, and paying lower wages than the private sector.
• States have also been flagged for worker safety budget allocations failing to keep pace with inflation—a criticism also levied at federal OSHA, which is supposed to pay half of a state’s enforcement costs.
• Twenty-six of the current state plans earned their initial approval by 1978. Other states with OSHA’s backing include California, Michigan, Wyoming, and Tennessee.
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