SLAUGHTERHOUSE RESPONSIBLE FOR TEEN DEATH

According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Duvon Perez was deep cleaning the deboning area at the Mark Jack Poultry plant in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, when his hand got caught and his body was pulled into the machinery. Investigators determined that Mark Jack Poultry failed to follow procedures that would have ensured that the machinery was completely disabled. The Georgia-based company that owned the slaughterhouse was cited 14 times by OSHA, which proposed more than $210,000 in fines. OSHA said in a news release Tuesday, Mark Jack Poultry is aware of how dangerous the machinery they use can be when safety standards are not in place to prevent serious injury and death. The company's inaction has directly led to this terrible tragedy, which has left so many to mourn this child's preventable death. However, in October, Mark Jack's attorney, Larry Stein, said that all safety procedures had been followed. The Labor Department is investigating whether Mark Jack Poultry or a subcontractor violated child labor regulations. The federal law prohibits individuals under 18 from working in slaughterhouses. Perez was the second individual to accidentally die at the plant after getting sucked into a machine in a two-year period. Christina Corona, NTD News.