Hall County, Ga., first responders were called on to the scene after reports of burns at the poultry processing plant, The Gainesville (Ga.) Times reported. Dying at the scene immediately were three maintenance workers and two other employees. A sixth worker died on the way to the hospital. (Credit: Scott Rogers/The Gainesville Times) Hall County, Ga., first responders were called on to the scene after reports of burns at the poultry processing plant, The Gainesville (Ga.) Times reported. Dying at the scene immediately were three maintenance workers and two other employees. A sixth worker died on the way to the hospital. (Credit: Scott Rogers/The Gainesville Times)

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is levying more than $998,000 in fines against four companies that operate a poultry processing plant in Gainesville, Ga., following the death of six workers due to nitrogen leaking from a malfunctioning freezer. The safety administration found a total of 59 violations, including repeat infractions, at the facility.

Shortly after a shift had started, the freezer began releasing liquid nitrogen, which is colorless and odorless, into the plant's air, displacing oxygen in the room, OSHA reported. Without taking any precautions, as they were not trained on the deadly effects of nitrogen exposure, three maintenance workers entered the freezer room and were overcome immediately. Subsequently, other workers entered the room and were also overtaken.

Want to continue reading?
Become a Free PropertyCasualty360 Digital Reader

Your access to unlimited PropertyCasualty360 content isn’t changing.
Once you are an ALM digital member, you’ll receive:

  • Breaking insurance news and analysis, on-site and via our newsletters and custom alerts
  • Weekly Insurance Speak podcast featuring exclusive interviews with industry leaders
  • Educational webcasts, white papers, and ebooks from industry thought leaders
  • Critical converage of the employee benefits and financial advisory markets on our other ALM sites, BenefitsPRO and ThinkAdvisor
NOT FOR REPRINT

© 2025 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.

Steve Hallo

Steve Hallo is managing editor of PropertyCasualty360.com. He can be reached at [email protected]

Commercial Lines
Workers' Comp
Regulation/Legislation