Oklahoma Poultry Plant Sanitation Shift Worker Killed in Accident on Duty

March 21, 2025

Employee fell into an auger while working at the OK Foods poultry plant in Heavener, Okla., on March 18.

An Oklahoma poultry plant sanitation shift worker was killed in a plant accident that occurred in the early morning hours of March 18, according to local news reports. The man, Levigildo Ramirez, was working the overnight shift at OK Foods in Heavener, Okla., when he fell through grating into an auger while working.

Emergency first responders were called to the facility around 3 a.m., and Ramirez was pronounced dead on the scene at 3:24 a.m., the report noted. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is investigating, and OK Foods had not responded to requests for comment at the time of this writing.

About the Author

Andy Hanacek | Senior Editor

Andy Hanacek has covered meat, poultry, bakery and snack foods as a B2B editor for nearly 20 years, and has toured hundreds of processing plants and food companies, sharing stories of innovation and technological advancement throughout the food supply chain. In 2018, he won a Folio:Eddie Award for his unique "From the Editor's Desk" video blogs, and he has brought home additional awards from Folio and ASBPE over the years. In addition, Hanacek led the Meat Industry Hall of Fame for several years and was vice president of communications for We R Food Safety, a food safety software and consulting company.