Guatemala Boy Dies While Working at Mississippi Poultry Plant

By BERT HOOVER First Posted: Jul 20, 2023 02:45 AM EDT

A tragic incident occurred at the Mar-Jac Poultry processing plant in Hattiesburg, Mississippi Friday, where a 16-year-old Guatemala boy lost his life while operating equipment, according to CBS News.

Forrest County Coroner Butch Benedict confirmed initial details of the incident, indicating that the boy's death was likely trauma-related.

The report did not disclose the teenager's name, but Guatemalan media identified him as Duvan Pérez, who had moved from Huispache, Guatemala to Mississippi.

Mar-Jac Poultry, a poultry production company based in Gainesville, Georgia, operates the plant in Hattiesburg. The facility, involved in poultry processing and poultry slaughter, received its mandatory federal inspection grant in April 2022.

The Guatemala boy worked as a sanitation employee at the plant, and he lost his life due to injuries sustained in an accident while conducting sanitation operations on Friday evening.

Mar-Jac Poultry expressed deep remorse for the loss and extended their sincere condolences to the boy's family and friends.

The company emphasized that the safety of their employees is their foremost concern and that they strive daily to maintain a safe working environment.

Joe Colee, the complex manager, conveyed the company's commitment to employee safety and expressed the profound sorrow felt by the entire organization when an employee is injured or loses their life.

An official report on the incident is expected within several days, pending the completion of the autopsy by a pathologist to determine the definitive cause of death.

Labor Law in Mississippi

The tragic death of Guatemala boy Duvan Pérez at the Mar-Jac Poultry processing plant in Hattiesburg, Mississippi has raised concerns regarding child labor laws and workplace safety, per NY Post.

Labor laws in Mississippi explicitly prohibit children under the age of 18 from working in poultry plants due to the inherent dangers involved in such environments.

Following the incident, both the Department of Labor and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration have launched investigations into the Mar-Jac plant.

The investigations aim to determine if the plant violated child labor laws and workplace safety regulations.

If found guilty of violating child labor laws, Mar-Jac could face fines exceeding $30,000 as a consequence of the tragic incident involving the underage worker.

Unfortunately, Pérez's death is not an isolated incident at the plant. The accident marks the third fatality at the Mar-Jac facility in just three years.

A 33-year-old man died after sustaining injuries "while horse-playing with machinery in the facility," in December 2020.

Additionally, a 48-year-old worker lost his life after being injured by heavy equipment at the same facility in June 2021.

Death of Guatemala Boy at Workplace Triggers Assault on Child Labor Laws

The tragic death of the Guatemala boy at a Mississippi poultry plant has sparked renewed concerns about the safety and protection of child labor rights in the United States, Common Dreams reported.

The incident has garnered widespread outrage, with many questioning the dangerous implications of the current erosion of child labor protections in the country.

Terri Gerstein, director of the Project on State and Local Enforcement at the Harvard Law School Center for Labor and a Just Economy, strongly emphasized that the death of Duvan Pérez was not an unforeseeable accident but rather a predictable outcome and a violation of the law.

Gerstein argued that employers are prohibited from hiring minors to work in exceptionally hazardous environments for a reason - to safeguard the well-being and safety of young workers.

Duvan Pérez, the Guatemala boy, appears to have been unlawfully employed as a sanitation worker at Mar-Jac Poultry.