The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has issued 59 violations and proposed $998,637 in penalties against four companies for the death of six workers at a Gainesville, Georgia poultry processing facility in January 2021.
The deaths were attributed to the fact that a freezer malfunctioned and began to release colorless, odorless liquid nitrogen into the plant’s air. According to OSHA, three of the plant’s maintenance workers entered the freezer room without precautions – never trained on the deadly effects of nitrogen exposure – and were overcome immediately. Other workers entered the room and were also overcome. The three maintenance workers and two other workers died immediately, a sixth died on the way to the hospital. At least a dozen other injured workers needed hospital care.
After investigating, OSHA charged Foundation Food Group, Messer LLC, Packers Sanitation Services Inc. Ltd. of Kieler, Wisconsin; and FS Group Inc. of Albertville, Alabama with responsibility for the deaths.
“Six people’s deaths, and injuries suffered by at least a dozen others, were entirely avoidable,” said U.S. labor secretary Marty Walsh, in a statement. “The Department of Labor is dedicated to upholding the law and using everything in our power to get justice for the workers’ families. The bottom line is no one should leave for work wondering if they’ll return home at the end of the day, and the Department of Labor is committed to holding bad actors accountable.”
The companies have 15 business days from receipt of their citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA’s area director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.
“This horrible tragedy could have been prevented had the employers taken the time to use – and teach their workers the importance of – safety precautions,” said OSHA regional administrator Kurt Petermeyer, in a statement. “Instead, six workers died as a result of their employers’ failure to follow necessary procedures and to comply with required safety and health standards. We hope other industry employers learn from this terrible incident and comply with safety and health requirements to prevent similar incidents.”
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