Poultry plant operator hit with fine after another chemical leak
The second incident came 42 days after six employees were killed following a nitrogen leak at the plant.
A Georgia poultry plant operator is being hit with its second fine of the year from the Labor Department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) after workers were exposed to another chemical leak, the administration reported.
Foundation Food Group Inc. is facing a $154,000 penalty for subjecting employees to hazards from the release of anhydrous ammonia and failing to install a system that protected workers, according to OSHA.
The latest incident came less than two months after six workers at the plant died due to the uncontrolled release of liquid nitrogen from a faulty freezer system. At least a dozen other employees were injured after being exposed to the hazardous chemical, which resulted in a nearly $1 million fine for Foundation Food and three other companies that help operate the facility.
Following the most recent leak, OSHA found 23 safety and health violations at the facility, including failure to:
- Guard horizontal shafts on conveyors, which exposed workers to caught-in hazards.
- Provide adequate training and ensure workers used locks to isolate hazardous energy while servicing conveyors.
- Label electrical breakers, cover unused openings in electrical boxes and use electrical devices as designed, which exposed workers to electrical shock hazards.
- Provide fall protection while working from equipment at heights over four feet.
- Require employees use eye protection while working with compressed air.
- Provide adequate hearing protection, testing and training for employees exposed to high levels of noise.
- Maintain drainage in areas of wet processes, exposing employees to slip hazards.
“There is no situation where employees should be expected to risk serious injury or death, especially on the heels of a tragic incident that took the lives of six co-workers,” Acting Assistant Secretary for Occupational Safety and Health Jim Frederick said in a release. “Foundation Food Group has again flouted their responsibility to assess workplace hazards and ensure measures are taken to protect employees. This is unacceptable and OSHA will continue its mission to hold employers accountable.”
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