OSHA’s goal is to avoid having industrial accidents, so when they are able to say “I told you so” it is never a good sign. This situation happened after a recent dust explosion occurred in a Pilgrim’s Pride plant in Gainesville, Georgia. Luckily no one was injured in the dust explosion, but this incident shows that OSHA citations are given for a reason.
On the Saturday of May 2, 2015 an explosion occurred in the area of the Pilgrim’s Pride plant where corn is ground into chicken feed. The process is automated, which means no employees were nearby, but the building experienced significant damage.
While this particular building didn’t have previous OSHA citations, many of the company’s other plants have a long list of issues. Pilgrim’s Pride is the 2nd largest poultry producer in the world, with annual sales of $8.1 billion, but it can’t seem to put any of that towards the safety of its workers.
In 2009 one of their plants in Florida was cited for 6 serious violations, including a buildup of explosive dust on ledges, pipes, ductwork, and other flat surfaces. In 2011 another one of their plants in Alabama was cited for 6 violations, with 2 repeat violations for allowing electrical components to accumulate combustible dust. In yet another inspection in 2013, OSHA found 11 violations at an Arkansas plant, and proposed $170,000 in fines. These fines were for issues involving anhydrous ammonia issues as well as combustible dust.
For a company this large a fine of $170,000, and even the damage caused by the recent explosion, is probably not enough for them to stop doing things the way they have been. Yet, just because these costs don’t amount to much for the company doesn’t mean it should be able to avoid fixing these issues in all its plants.
Combustible dust is a severe issue in manufacturing, and this explosion shows what can happen when it is ignored. This time the company was lucky and no one was injured, but what about the next time one of their plants explodes? Is saving money more important that protecting worker’s lives?
