Tyson Foods: US Says Co Willfully Broke Safety Regulations

DOW JONES NEWSWIRES

August 1, 2008 2:53 p.m.

DOW JONES NEWSWIRES

Tyson Foods Inc. (TSN) on Friday said the U.S. Departments of Justice and Labor claimed that the meat processor's willful violations of safety rules resulted in the death of an employee in 2003.

A letter from the agencies also claimed Tyson employees or agents, acting in the course of their employment, made false statements to compliance officers, according to a regulatory filing.

"The letter also expressed concern that our agents may have withheld documents in the course of the...investigation, thereby subjecting us to liability for obstruction of justice," the company said in the filing.

In 2004, a federal grand jury began an investigation into the workplace fatality from the inhalation of hydrogen sulfide.

Regulators issued citations to the company in 2004, alleging violations of health and safety standards.

-By David J. Reynolds, Dow Jones Newswires

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