The U.S. Department of Labor announced on Thursday it had cited Keystone Foods, a Tyson Foods subsidiary, for failing to protect workers against fire and explosion hazards after a deadly Christmastime explosion at a facility in southwest Georgia.
Two workers at the chicken plant in Camilla, about 30 miles south of Albany, were seriously burned on Dec. 26 after an oil-filled hose ruptured, igniting the oil mist and causing a fire and explosion in the boiler room, according to a press release from the Labor Department.
After the explosion, a wall fell on the cab of an 18-wheeler parked outside the plant, killing a woman who was sleeping inside the truck, according to Mitchell County Coroner Robby Willis. The woman was not a worker at the plant, but was the wife of the truck driver.
Occupational Safety and Health Administration inspectors found Keystone Foods “did not ensure workers followed proper internal procedures nor the manufacturer’s guidelines when conducting maintenance on its boiler pump,” the Labor Department said. It issued a citation for a serious violation and Keystone Foods now faces a proposed penalty of $16,550. Its parent company Tyson Foods did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
As part of the citation, Keystone needs to develop and implement a maintenance procedure on the steps to install and repair a thermal fluid heater pump, provide training to maintenance employees and ensure they are visually inspecting and documenting the condition of the hoses, according to the OSHA citation. The company has until July 18 to abate the violation.
The Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, which represents the 1,600 workers at the plant, called the fine “meager.”
“For a multibillion-dollar corporation like Tyson, this fine is barely a drop in the bucket, despite the gravity of the explosion and the clear danger to workers. This meager penalty sends a dangerous message: that even catastrophic failures in worker safety can be brushed aside without meaningful consequence,” union president Stuart Appelbaum and Edgar Fields, president of the union’s Southeast Council, said in a joint statement.
About the Author
Keep Reading
The Latest
Featured
