According to CBS News, the owner of a now-closed West Virginia beef jerky plant is being sued after firing an employee who attempted to help a co-worker who lost a thumb.
In 2014, a band saw severed part of a worker’s right thumb. A co-worker applied pressure to the wound while calling 911, but before responders answered, John M. Bachman, the plant owner, forced her to hang up.
Later that day the Good Samaritan told a U.S. agriculture inspector that the facility not only lacked personal protective equipment, but also failed to fully clean the area of the plant where the accident happened. She was fired just days later.
According to OSHA’s regional administrator, Richard Mendelson, the company failed to show “basic human decency:
Lone Star Western Beef punished an employee for seeking emergency medical care for a seriously injured co-worker. No worker should have to fear retaliation from their employer for calling 911 in an emergency, or taking other action to report a workplace safety or health incident.
Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time meat industry workers have been injured on the job. Employees of Tyson Foods, America’s largest meat producer, process 35 million chickens, 400,000 pigs, and 128,000 cows every week. On average, one worker a month is injured by equipment and loses a finger or limb. Working at high speeds to meet demand and using sharp equipment like skinners, band saws, wind saws, and hide grippers is a recipe for disaster.
The conditions on factory farms are not only dangerous for humans but also brutal for animals. Every Mercy For Animals undercover investigation has exposed animals living in deplorable conditions.
You can help protect animals from needless suffering by adopting a healthy and compassionate vegan diet. Click here to order your FREE Vegetarian Starter Guide.
