Cargill Plant In Arkansas To Celebrate 35 Years Without ‘Lost-time’ Accident

A Cargill pork feed mill in London that opened the same year Ronald Reagan became president will hold a ceremony on Friday to celebrate 35 years without a lost time accident – the first to reach the milestone in the Arkansas Department of Labor’s records kept since 1976, company officials said Monday.

“The London facility began its feed mill operations in 1980, and there has not been a lost time accident since then,” said Pat Pollack, Cargill Pork environment, health and safety manager based in Russellville. “There aren’t many businesses in our industry that can make that claim. This accomplishment is not just a milestone for our facility, but a testament to Cargill’s devotion to the safety of its employees.”

Cargill Pork, based in Wichita, Kan., operates five feed mills and two processing facilities across the U.S. The London feed mill, which has eight employees, operates approximately 12 hours a day, five days a week, with two shifts.

The facility makes and delivers hog feed for nearly 100 contracted farms in the region, as well as the company-owned Sandy River sow farm, and processes more than 76,000 tons, or 152 million pounds, of feed annually, Cargill officials said. Jobs include grinding, mixing and pelleting feed, as well as lifting and handling several tons of feed daily and delivering the loads to farms. These tasks often require the use of heavy-duty equipment.

The safety program is employee-led and supported by management, officials said. Employees accept the responsibility of recognizing safety hazards committed by each other, or by outside contractors, and preventing incidents from occurring. Monthly meetings help address critical tasks and provide time for safety demonstrations.

“The landscape of the world around us was much different when we opened our doors. As the world continues to evolve, so do our safety practices,” stated Bud Akers, Cargill Pork’s London feed mill manager. “We want to make sure that we continue to take the steps to not only minimize risks for our employees, but also for the contractors that come to our facility and the community around us. This commitment has allowed us to achieve more than 12,700 days without a lost time accident.”

According to Cargill officials, state Department of Labor Deputy Director Ralph Hudson will attend Friday’s ceremony and present an award to Cargill employees at the facility, located at 8265 Highway 64 West in London. The ceremony will begin at 11 a.m. and a celebratory luncheon will follow for invitees.

“Cargill is the first company to reach the 35-year milestone since the state of Arkansas began tracking hours without a lost day of injury in the 1970s,” Hudson said. “It’s evidence that the company really cares about its employees and the community.”

Notwithstanding the notable achievement, Brazil-based JBS USA Pork has agreed to a $1.45 billion deal with Cargill to acquire the company’s U.S.-based pork business, which includes the agriculture and food giant’s pork operations in London and other parts of Arkansas, company officials said.

Minnetonka, Minn.-based Cargill, which had revenues of nearly $135 billion in 2014, is the nation’s fourth largest pork processor, harvesting and processing more than 10 million market hogs annually. Brazil’s JBS S.A., the world’s largest meatpacker, first entered the U.S. pork market with the acquisition of Swift & Company in 2007 and has more than 6,000 employees in the U.S.