Federal workplace safety officials have cited a Georgia poultry plant after investigating a deadly explosion at the facility late last year.
The U.S. Labor Department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration found that Keystone Foods — a subsidiary of poultry giant Tyson — did not ensure that workers were following proper procedures when performing maintenance on the boiler pump at its Camilla, Georgia, plant.
The probe stemmed from a December incident when a hose filled with oil ruptured in the plant’s boiler room. The oil mist ignited and seriously burned two workers, and another person — the wife of a truck driver parked at the facility — was killed in the explosion.
Keystone was cited for one “serious” violation of federal workplace safety regulations and faces a proposed penalty of $16,550. The company had 15 days following receipt of the citation — issued July 10 — to comply, request a conference with OSHA officials, or contest the agency’s findings.
