Rare General-Duty Citation Against Poultry Plant Highlights OSHA, USDA Push On Ergo Hazards

OSHA's decision to wield the OSH Act general duty clause against a poultry processing facility in Alabama -- an action precipitated by a complaint from the Southern Poverty Law Center -- reflects, according to observers, both an eagerness on OSHA's part to enforce against alleged ergonomic hazards and agency concern that new government rules allowing accelerated chicken processing lines could lead to severe occupational injury risks.