Perdue Farms Receives Commissioner's Safety Award

NASHVILLE – Tennessee Department of Labor & Workforce Development Commissioner Burns Phillips announced that Perdue Farms in Monterey was chosen to receive the Commissioner’s Award of Excellence for Workplace Safety.

"Perdue Farms has demonstrated a strong commitment to maintaining a safe and healthy workplace," said Jim Flanagan, TOSHA Assistant Administrator, who presented the Commissioner’s Award of Excellence to the company today. “The evaluation criteria for this award are challenging, and this company has worked extremely hard to meet and exceed the standards the award requires.”

“At Perdue, we have a very strong safety program, but it’s important to recognize that it’s the commitment to safety by all of our associates that made this possible,” said Jeff Beckman, director of Perdue operations in Monterey. “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 a 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.”

The Commissioner’s Award honors Tennessee employers and their employees who together have achieved a required number of hours worked without experiencing a lost workday case and have maintained total injury and illness incidence rates below the national average. The number of hours required is based on the size of the company.

Perdue Farms in Monterey has 932 employees involved in poultry processing. The facility has qualified for the Commissioner’s Award by working more than 2,015,639 consecutive hours without a lost-time injury. This is the third time Perdue has received the Commissioner’s Award of Excellence. They also received the award in 2007 and 2008.

The Tennessee Department of Labor & Workforce Development Safety Awards Program is designed to stimulate interest in accident prevention and to promote safety. The program recognizes manufacturing and construction firms throughout the state that achieve and maintain a safe and healthful workplace.

To obtain an application or additional information on the Tennessee Occupational Safety and Health (TOSHA) Safety Awards Program, contact the TOSHA office in Nashville at (800) 325-9901 or (615) 253-6890.