PERDUE FARMS INCORPORATED

According to U.S. Department of Labor enforcement records, PERDUE FARMS INCORPORATED — a industry sector 00 facility located at 808 ROSS CLARK CIR., DOTHAN, AL 36303 — was the subject of a formal OSHA inspection that resulted in 20 citation(s) and cumulative proposed penalties of $22,984.00. The inspection case was opened on 2002-05-02.

The volume of citations issued during this inspection suggests systematic compliance deficiencies rather than isolated incidents. Facilities with 10 or more citations typically face comprehensive abatement requirements and may be subject to follow-up inspections.

State Context: Within AL, this facility's penalty places it at the 98th percentile among 30,935 inspected facilities. The statewide average penalty is $3,893.70.

Citation Analysis: The inspection produced 20 citations spanning 11 distinct OSHA regulatory standards. The citation breakdown includes: 10 serious — A workplace hazard that could cause death or serious physical harm exists, and the employer knew or should have known about the condition. 5 other-than-serious — The violation has a direct relationship to job safety and health but is unlikely to cause death or serious physical harm.

Enforcement Timeline: Citations were issued beginning March 4, 1999 with the latest abatement deadline set for June 30, 2011. Of the 20 total citations, 5 (25%) have been marked as abated in DOL records, which may indicate ongoing compliance gaps requiring further regulatory attention.

Penalty Assessment: The cumulative penalty of $22,984.00 reflects OSHA's gravity-based penalty calculation methodology, which considers the severity of potential injury, the probability of occurrence, the employer's size, good faith, and violation history. The per-citation average of $1,149.20 falls within the standard penalty range.

The enforcement action against Perdue Farms’ Dothan facility revealed a pervasive breakdown in fundamental safety management systems, characterized by a high volume of serious violations spanning multiple critical disciplines. The citation density suggested systemic negligence rather than isolated mechanical failures. Most alarming was the gravity of the Powered Industrial Truck (1910.178) and Bloodborne Pathogen (1910.1030) violations; the $7,000 penalty for forklift non-compliance indicated a maximum-tier assessment for that period, signaling imminent danger to pedestrian workers and operators alike. Furthermore, the convergence of Lockout/Tagout (1910.147) and machine guarding (1910.219) deficiencies exposed maintenance personnel to catastrophic amputation or crushing hazards. The inclusion of Bloodborne Pathogen