Another stomach-churning read from today’s Charlotte Observer
Yet another stomach churning read from today's Charlotte Observer: Workers say they're denied proper medical care http://www.charlotte.com/poultry/story/490858.html Mike Flowers is a powerful gatekeeper. He often decides whether to send poultry workers to a doctor when they get hurt on the job or complain of chronic pain. "I think we do a pretty good job of taking care of these folks," said Flowers, who treats workers at the House of Raeford Farms plant in West Columbia, S.C. Ernestina Ruiz thinks otherwise. In 2006, after months of de-boning thousands of chicken breasts each day, her hands and wrists began to hurt. She complained to Flowers at least three times, she said, but each time he gave her pain relievers or a bandage and sent her back to work. " `You're going to be fine,' " she recalled him saying. A large lump grew on her left wrist. The pain got so bad, she said, she went to a private doctor and had surgery. Day after day, poultry workers are cut by knives, burned by chemicals or hurt by repetitive work, according to dozens of injury logs compiled by plants across the South. Because many workers are illegal immigrants and can't afford private care, their health rests largely with company medical workers. Those in-house attendants are supposed to help workers heal. Instead, some have prevented workers from receiving medical care that would cost the company money, an Observer investigation has found. And in some instances, the treatments they provide can do more harm than good. Judge criticized Tyson guidelines http://www.charlotte.com/poultry/story/490859.html A judge sharply criticized policies at one large poultry company that encouraged nurses to delay medical treatment for some injured workers. Tyson Foods, in a manual once issued to company nurses, provided the following guidance on how to handle workers with symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome, a painful hand ailment: Treat them in-house and "if not improving after 4 weeks, refer to a physician." Administrative Law Judge Murphy Miller concluded in 2002 the policy left Georgia worker Carolyn Johnson with permanent injuries. "An employer that ... requires four weeks of in-house treatment before a physician referral charts a collision course with medical disaster," the judge wrote. "The employee's permanent nerve damage is the foreseeable result." A worker's grueling day http://www.charlotte.com/poultry/story/490857.html Celia Lopez felt lucky when she was hired at the House of Raeford Farms turkey plant in Raeford. But after six years, the 44-year-old mother of three said she feared the "hands that take care of my family" are ruined. Last February, Fayetteville Dr. Stanley Gilbert performed carpal tunnel surgery on her left hand. In June, he performed surgery on her right hand. At the Observer's request, Lopez recounted a typical day: -- |
