Safety is our greatest responsibility 

The clearest demonstration of our respect for our employees, contractors, suppliers, partners, customers and neighbors is an unyielding commitment to safety. 

In 2005, Cargill set a goal to achieve a recordable injury frequency rate (RIFR) – the number of injuries per 200,000 hours worked – of 3.0 by 2010. We exceeded that goal by achieving an RIFR of 2.9, dropping from our fiscal 2005 RIFR of 4.6. This was the lowest frequency of work-related injuries in the 22 years we’ve gathered safety data globally. We also prevented 2,600 injuries from occurring during this period and 66 percent of our locations worked injury free in 2010.

Our 2010 goal was to deploy behavior-based safety (BBS) systems to all 1,100+ Cargill locations by 2010 to build even greater awareness and ownership of safety among all our employees. Nearly all (98.5 percent) of our facilities deployed BBS since fiscal 2005. As a result, safety awareness and engagement in safety behaviors has increased and we’re better at recognizing positive safety behaviors and eliminating barriers to working safely. 

In Cargill's continued commitment to eliminate all occupational injuries and illness from our operations, our 2015 workplace safety goals are zero fatalities and an RIFR of 2.0.

Meeting strict industry standards 

OHSAS 18001 compliant 

Ninety Cargill’s facilities have been certified as OHSAS 18001:2007 compliant. The OHSAS 18001  (Occupational Health and Safety Assessment Series) standards grew out of the global success of the ISO 9000 and ISO 14000 series of standards and the increasing demand by companies for a standard that addressed the management of safety in the workplace. The goal is to provide a common standard from which companies build and manage an occupational health and safety management system that can be assessed and certified by an authorized independent authority. 

OSHA Voluntary Protection Programs 

The Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) within the United States sponsors what it calls Voluntary Protection Programs (VPPs). VPPs promote worksite-based safety and health. VPP participants are a select group of facilities that have designed and implemented outstanding health and safety programs. Within the program there are differing levels of recognition: Star participants meet all VPP requirements; Merit participants demonstrate the potential and willingness to achieve Star program status, and are implementing planned steps to fully meet all Star requirements. 

Cargill VPP locations 

• Corn Milling North America, Eddyville, IA
• Corn Milling North America, Wahpeton, ND
• Corn Milling North America, Blair, NE 
• Cargill Salt, Hutchinson, KS
• Cargill Value Added Meats, California, MO 
• Cargill Value Added Meats (Hatchery), Gentry, AR 
• Cargill Value Added Meats (Feed Mill), Harrisonburg, VA 
• Cargill Value Added Meats (Hatchery), Harrisonburg, VA
• Cargill Value Added Meats (Processing), Springdale , AR 
• Cargill Value Added Meats (Hatchery), Springdale , AR 
• Cargill Value Added Meats, Temple, TX
• Cargill Value Added Meats, Timberville, VA 
• Cargill Value Added Meats, Waco, TX 
• Regional Beef, Wyalusing, PA