CHESTER – Gilster-Mary Lee President and CEO Tom Welge has issued a statement regarding the OSHA findings concerning the fatal accident last June.
“Gilster-Mary Lee Corporation’s core values are food and employee safety. They are of equal importance and guide all our and our employees’ actions. Any on the job injury is unacceptable and upsetting to our entire organization because of all our efforts to prevent injuries and foster a strong safety culture. We devote significant time each year, no matter what the level of business, to retraining all our employees in over 50 different personal safety topics, we conduct monthly safety committee meetings, and we recognize safety leaders within the company. A 2024 independent focus group of employees at all levels of operations identified our focus on employee safety as one of our strengths.
“After the accident in the Perryville Cereal plant, we worked with OSHA to investigate the cause of the accident, conducted our own review, and contracted with an outside safety consultant for additional assistance. We are not only addressing the issues related to this accident but taking anything we learn across our entire organization. Maintaining a strong safety culture requires equal attention to equipment, processes, procedures, and ongoing training. Ensuring a safe workplace is the responsibility of every member of our team, at all levels. Gilster-Mary Lee remains fully committed to the safety of the products we manufacture and the factories, warehouses and other facilities where our 2400 employees work each day.”
An employee of the firm perished after he became trapped in equipment. He was reported to have been cleaning the interior of an oven when the accident happened.
OSHA has not yet responded to a request for information on its finding.