MARSHVILLE, N.C.,None — State labor officials say they are "sending a message" about unsafe working conditions after a Marshville chicken plant is fined more than $100,000 for labor violations.
"We'd like to get the attention of other employers with similar work environments," said Dolores Quesenberry with the North Carolina Department of Labor.
The 34 violations are outlined in a long report by labor officials following an investigation into Pilgrim's Pride chicken processing plant after an explosion and ammonia leak on Aug. 16, 2011.
In the report, investigators say after the explosion, management failed to notify workers in the plant that an emergency had occurred.
"[The investigators] looked at the hazardous emergency response plan, and there were some issues with that," Quesenberry said.
Plant officials are also charged with failing to inform proper emergency officials and leaving four workers inside the plant during a mandatory evacuation.
Two weeks after the blast, investigators said two employees experienced "severe respiratory irritation" after they were exposed to toxic chemicals while cleaning the plant.
The employees were not provided with face or eye protection while scrubbing the area with a highly acidic solution that was 50 percent water and 50 percent bleach, according to investigators.
The workers sought medical attention.
The violation also said the employees using the bleach solution were instructed to remove their rubber gloves; leaving them with cotton work gloves as their only skin protection against the bleach.
According to investigators, plant management also failed to provide adequate hearing protection to all employees, asking them to pay for protective earphones.
An ex-employee confirmed the investigators' findings.
"Yeah, [the money for the earphones], it come out of your check," said Marquis Merriman.
Other violations included failure to annually train employees, missing guardrails around dangerous equipment, and exits blocked by wooden pallets.
Residents said they have heard similar stories from friends and family members who work at the plant.
"I wouldn't want nobody that I loved, that I cared about working there because that's dangerous. They might not be alive tomorrow working in a place like that," said Marshville resident Darlene Havey.
A Pilgrim's Pride spokeswoman sent out a statement that read, in part, "Safety is a core value at Pilgrims. In everything we do, we are strongly committed to ensuring the safety of our employees and the communities in which we live and work."
Eyewitness News contacted officials with specific questions about the alleged failures to adequately protect employees. A spokeswoman did not return emails seeking comment.
Pilgrim's Pride has 14 days to contest the violations or pay the $107,100 fine.
WSOC
