Gainesville poultry plant hit with OSHA fine for new leak following nitrogen deaths

In January, six workers were killed in a liquid nitrogen release at a Gainesville poultry plant, triggering nearly $1 million in federal workplace safety penalties. This week, that same facility has been cited for a separate incident: an ammonia leak that took place less than two months after the deadly release of liquid nitrogen.

The second chemical leak didn’t cause serious injuries among the plant’s workforce, but employees filed complaints with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

In an investigation released September 14, OSHA identified 23 safety and health violations at the Foundation Food Group Inc. facility. According to the agency, the violations exposed workers to dermal and respiratory hazards, and revealed a failure on the company’s behalf to install a system that protected employees.

The Foundation Food Group faces $154,674 in penalties.

“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,” said Acting Assistant Secretary for Occupational Safety and Health Jim Frederick.

Following the March ammonia leak and investigation, Foundation Food Group said in a statement it trains employees for emergencies and is “committed to taking any additional measures necessary to further ensure the safety of our employees.” The company didn’t address the numerous allegations in the OSHA complaint.

Following the January nitrogen leak, OSHA found that safety steps could have been taken to prevent the deaths of the six employees that lost their lives – five of whom were Hispanic.

According to a report from Human Rights Watch, workers at meat and poultry processing plants suffer some of the highest rates of occupational injury and illness in the U.S.

Lautaro Grinspan is a Report for America corps member covering metro Atlanta’s immigrant communities.