According to a company press release, the Joint Industry Safety and Health Council has awarded nine of Perdue's facilities its Award of Distinction, the Council's highest form of recognition for consistently implementing innovative and effective workplace safety health processes and systems. They were among 33 Perdue facilities across 14 states that received workplace safety awards at the 2022 National Safety Conference for the Poultry Industry in Destin, Florida.

"Workplace safety is an absolute at Perdue, including an unwavering commitment from management and an ongoing safety culture that engages all associates in maintaining a safe workplace environment," said Randy Day, CEO of Perdue Farms. "Each year, we set goals around people, products, planet and profitability and we always put people first in that equation. We believe there's nothing more important than creating a safe, supportive, and healthy work environment where our associates can be successful and return safely to their families at the end of the workday."

The company's food-producing facilities that received the Award of Distinction include Concord, Lewiston and Rockingham in North Carolina, Bridgewater, Va., Monterey, Tenn. and Georgetown, Del. The company's feed mill in Salisbury, Md., and broiler growouts in Hartford, Ky. and Forsyth, Georgia. also earned the Award of Distinction.

The Award of Distinction criteria required these facilities to maintain their key Occupational Safety and Health Administration safety metrics — Total Recordable Incident Rate (TRIR), Days Away, Restricted or Transferred (DART), and Lost Work Day Incident Rate (LWDIR) — at levels at least 50 percent better than the industry average for three consecutive years. Award consideration was also based on each facility's written explanation of its safety programs and processes.

Award consideration was based on injury statistics over three years and an evaluation of written applications by an independent panel of judges.