Raleigh, N.C. — The North Carolina Department of Labor has fined the Union County, N.C., Pilgrims Pride plant $107,100 for 27 alleged serious and seven non-serious violations, including an ammonia release on Aug. 16 last year. An unspecified number of the citations involved the ammonia leak, including an emergency plan that reportedly didn’t include procedures to determine safe exit routes and assembly areas and didn’t specify the personal protective equipment emergency responders were required to wear while responding to such situations. The leak led to the evacuation of 550 employees and 25 families who lived nearby. There were no injuries as a result, though the plant itself was damaged. Officials stated that the emergency plan was not implemented during the leak, as "four employees did not evacuate and remained in the (ammonia) release area to perform various activities."
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