Multi-agency investigation launched after teenager dies “conducting sanitation operations” in poultry plant

An incident occurred at the Mar-Jac Poultry-MS processing plant in Hattiesburg, resulting in the death of a teenage boy. The event took place on July 14, around 8 p.m., while the young employee was conducting sanitation operations, reports WDAM. The incident has sparked investigations by several agencies.

According to the company, the employee was “conducting sanitation operations” and died as a result of injuries sustained while doing that duty.

The employee, a 16-year-old Hispanic male from Hattiesburg, was pronounced dead at the scene, as confirmed by Forrest County Deputy Coroner Lisa Klem. Out of respect for the ongoing investigation and the boy’s age, his name was withheld when the coroner’s office notified his family. However, friends and family identified the teenager as Duvan Pérez through social media posts. Duvan was a student in the Hattiesburg Public School District at the time of the incident.

The company further went on to extend their condolences to Duvan’s family and friends. The company’s complex manager, Joe Colee, emphasized their commitment to safety and expressed deep sadness over the loss of an employee.

Authorities are now looking into how a 16-year-old was employed at the Mar-Jac Poultry plant, as federal law prohibits minors from working in meat and poultry plants due to the hazardous nature of the jobs. The Fair Labor Standards Act explicitly identifies sanitation activities in such plants as off-limits for underage workers.

The circumstances that allowed the teenager to secure the job remain unknown, prompting multiple investigations by various agencies, including Hattiesburg police, the Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and the Wage and Hour Division.

This is also not the first fatal accident at the Hattiesburg plant. Over the past three years, Mar-Jac Poultry has experienced three deaths, including the recent incident, as well as one amputation. Furthermore, OSHA had previously cited the company in 2020 and 2021 for four safety violations in separate incidents, resulting in initial penalties totaling $52,355.

Those cases with OSHA are still unresolved. The official cause of death is pending autopsy.