Sara Lee to Adopt Program to Trim Worker Injuries

Sara Lee Corp. agreed Wednesday to adopt a wide-ranging program designed to reduce the number of injuries attributed to repetitive motion and other hazards in meat-packing plants, the Labor Department said.

The agreement, the second in a year between the government and a major food supplier, will affect 8,000 workers at 31 Sara Lee meat processing plants in 20 states, the department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration said.

Sara Lee also agreed to pay $20,000 in fines and drop its appeal of four OSHA citations issued in November after an inspection of the company’s Hillshire Farm plant in New London, Wis. Those citations were for willful violations of laws limiting exposure to cumulative trauma disorders.

“Sara Lee deserves praise for its willingness to recognize the ergonomic hazards . . . in the meat industry and to take positive stops to control those illnesses throughout its many meat processing plants,” said acting OSHA head Alan C. McMillan.

Attempts to reach Sara Lee for comment were not successful.