The U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) on Sept. 14 said it has assessed poultry processor Foundation Food Group Inc., Gainesville, Ga., with a $154,675 penalty for an ammonia leak at its plant in March 2021, in which some 23 safety and health violations were identified.
The March release came just 42 days after a Jan. 28, 2021, ammonia release at the plant killed six employees and hospitalized a dozen (GM Jan. 29, p. 29). In July, OSHA assessed nearly $1 million in penalties due to that incident.
OSHA found that Foundation Food and Messer LLC of Bridgewater, N.J., failed to implement any of the safety procedures necessary to prevent the nitrogen leak, or to equip workers responding to it with the knowledge and equipment that could have saved their lives. OSHA cited Foundation Food, Messer, Packers Sanitation Services Inc. Ltd., Kieler, Wisc., and FS Group Inc., Albertville, Ala., responsible for operations at the Gainesville facility, for a total of 59 violations, and proposed $998,637 in penalties.
For the January incident, Foundation Food penalties were $595,474. Messer, which delivered the industrial gas, was assessed $74,118. Packers Sanitation, which provided cleaning and sanitation services, came in at $286,720. FS Group, which manufactures equipment and provides mechanical servicing, was penalized $42,325.