CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Poultry plant workers often find themselves seeking medical advice from in-house attendants, some of whom prevent health care that would cost the company money, The Charlotte Observer reported Wednesday.
The workers rely on in-house health care because many are illegal immigrants who can't afford private medical care, the newspaper said.
At House of Raeford and other poultry companies, first-aid workers sometimes even provide treatments that may harm workers more than help them. Some attendants, for instance, have dipped workers' aching hands in hot wax or water, the newspaper reported.
Doctors say the heat momentarily eases pain but can cause inflamed tendons and tissues to swell more.
House of Raeford officials said they hire trained personnel who use accepted first-aid practices to handle minor injuries. Workers needing advanced care are referred to doctors, the company said.
''I believe we have provided the care for our employees that's expected,'' said Gene Shelnutt, the company's human resources director.
But in communities near House of Raeford's four largest plants in North Carolina and South Carolina, more than 30 workers told the Observer that company medical attendants did little to help them when they suffered injuries or complained of pain. More than a dozen, including Ernestina Ruiz, said those attendants refused their requests to see a doctor.
Ruiz works at the plant in West Columbia, S.C., where Mike Flowers often decides whether to send poultry workers to a doctor.
''I think we do a pretty good job of taking care of these folks,'' Flowers said.
But Ruiz said she complained to Flowers at least three times about pain in her wrists and hands — pain that began in 2006 after she had spent months de-boning thousands of chicken breasts each day.
Each time she complained, Flowers gave her pain relievers or a bandage and sent her back to work, Ruiz said.
'''You're going to be fine,''' she recalled him saying.
But she had surgery from a private doctor after a large lump grew on her left wrist. Flowers told the Observer that House of Raeford had no proof that Ruiz's injury was work-related.
He noted that the cyst wasn't on her dominant hand, but Ruiz said she used both hands on the de-boning line.
On-site medical staff often face a choice between providing workers with the care they need or saving the company money.
That's because companies must compensate workers if they are injured on the job and require a doctor's treatment or can't work. In addition, employers must record injuries that require more than first aid on federal logs. Workplace safety inspectors may notice if there are too many injuries.
Celia Lopez used to lift and weigh thousands of turkey breasts each day at the House of Raeford plant in Fayetteville.
When her hands began to hurt, a company first-aid attendant gave her pain relievers but didn't send her to a doctor, she said. Months later, a physician assistant on contract with House of Raeford gave her more pain relievers but recommended no further treatment or testing for her hands, she said.
She eventually sought help from an independent clinic, where she was diagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome — a debilitating hand ailment that repetitive work can both cause and aggravate. Last year, she had surgeries on both hands.
Dr. Stanley Gilbert, who performed the operations, said Lopez's injuries were already serious by the time she came to him. Earlier treatment might have prevented the need for surgery, he said.
''If you don't treat it early enough, you can have permanent damage to the nerve,'' the Fayetteville doctor told an Observer reporter who accompanied Lopez on a follow-up visit last summer.
It's unclear whether the damage to Lopez's hands is permanent, Gilbert said.
House of Raeford said last year it couldn't comment on Lopez's case because she had hired an attorney.
Lopez, who worked under the name Milagro, was charged last summer with identity theft. Police say she assumed another woman's name and Social Security number to get a job.
House of Raeford also declined to comment on the cases of other workers who complained about plant medical care. Officials said they couldn't discuss details of their health or employment without signed releases.
The company did say it found ''many inaccuracies'' in the information workers provided to the Observer, but it declined to elaborate.
''The allegations made by these former employees do not fairly or accurately represent the policies or management practices of House of Raeford Farms,'' the company wrote.
