Key facts
- Taylor Farms, a U.S. produce supplier, has frequently failed to submit required annual workplace injury logs.
- At least four facilities with fatal or serious injuries lacked recent injury log submissions.
- Since 2021, the company has received nearly $1.8 million in safety-related citations.
- A New Jersey plant received over $1 million in fines after a worker's death.
- Taylor Farms has disputed over half of its OSHA citations since 2016.
Taylor Farms, a prominent U.S. produce supplier, has a pattern of failing to submit federally mandated workplace injury logs, according to a Reuters review of federal records. This non-compliance occurred at facilities where serious and fatal injuries were reported. Over the past five years, a significant number of Taylor Farms facilities did not file these annual reports, impacting the ability of regulators and the public to assess workplace safety. The company acknowledged these reporting gaps, stating they have been addressed and that new safety reporting software has been implemented.
Perishable food manufacturers like Taylor Farms typically face higher injury rates due to heavy machinery. Since 2021, Taylor Farms has accumulated nearly $1.8 million in citations from OSHA and state regulators for issues including machine hazards and inadequate employee training. Notably, a worker died last year at a New Jersey processing plant, leading OSHA to propose over $1 million in fines for willful and repeated safety violations. Another incident at a Rhode Island plant resulted in 13 workers being hospitalized after an ammonia leak, with OSHA proposing $23,000 in citations. The company has disputed more than half of its OSHA citations since 2016, a rate significantly higher than the typical dispute rate in the food manufacturing sector.