Three of the company’s facilities including the processing plants in Union Springs, Alabama and Pendergrass, Georgia and the hatchery in Troy, Alabama, received Awards of Distinction, the highest accolade offered. The three processing facilities located in Decatur, Alabama each received an Award of Honor alongside the company’s hatchery in Laurel, Mississippi. The plant in Union Springs, Alabama also received an Award of Merit alongside the hatchery in Albertville, Alabama and the feed mill in Laurel, Mississippi.

In addition to traditional safety practices, Wayne Farms has implemented a behavior-based safety initiative called WorkSAFE, which focuses on helping employees identify unsafe behaviors and remain conscious of their environment and potentially dangerous situations.

 “I am extremely proud of the safety programs in place across Wayne Farms and I credit the hard work and consistent attention offered by our dedicated safety teams,” Reggie McLee, Director of Safety for Wayne Farms said. “Our teams always keep workplace safety top of mind and are constantly looking for new and innovative ways to improve our already solid programs.”

Award consideration was based on injury statistics over a three year period and an evaluation of written applications by 3 judges including: Craig Wyvill, retired director of the Agricultural Technology Research Program at Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI); Gary Pohlmann of Marsh Risk Consulting; and Doug Britton, program manager for Agricultural Technology Research at GTRI.

 The Joint Industry Safety and Health Council is comprised of members from the U.S. Poultry & Egg Association, National Chicken Council, and National Turkey Federation. Collectively, the three organizations represent companies that produce 95% of the nation’s poultry products and employ over 300,000 workers.

About Wayne Farms LLC

Wayne Farms LLC is the sixth-largest vertically integrated poultry producer in the United States with annual sales exceeding $1 billion. A subsidiary of Continental Grain Company, Wayne Farms owns and operates 10 fresh and further-processed facilities throughout the Southeast, produces more than 1 billion pounds of poultry products each year, and employs more than 8,900 individuals. # # # Left to right: Tybo Sipper, Wayne Farms Compliance Manager for Union Springs, Alabama; Steve Pretanik, National Chicken Council; Reggie McLee, Wayne Farms Director of Safety; Tom Vire, Wayne Farms Compliance Manager for Pendergrass, Georgia and Paul Pressley, US. Poultry and Egg Association.