After an investigation that began on August 24, 2021, the North Carolina Department of Labor “cited Mountaire Farms Inc. for one alleged repeat serious violation and one alleged serious violation of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of North Carolina with a total penalty of $21,000,” according to a labor department spokesperson.
In October 2021, WATT Global Media reported on allegations of safety violations involving dangerous chemicals in a Mountaire Farms plant in Lumber Bridge. A complaint was filed by the North Carolina Justice Center (NCJC) with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) which said that employees were experiencing symptoms including sore throats, persistent coughs, chest pains, swollen tongues, headaches, dizziness and fainting.
Mountaire Farms denied these allegations at the time, saying that they were speculation and unmerited.
According to the citation, “employees were exposed to chemicals including corrosive Spectrum 22.” Employees were also not trained on safety measures to protect themselves from this and other chemicals, and “the employer did not ensure that each affected employee uses appropriate eye or face protection when exposed to eye or face hazards.”
Spectrum 22, primarily made of peracetic acid, acidic acid and hydrogen peroxide, is a corrosive chemical with a pH balance of 4. It was mostly present in the deboning lines and evisceration areas where employees were “cutting and removing chicken parts that had been sprayed with or dipped in deep tanks that contained Spectrum 22,” according to the citation.
Mountaire Farms has 15 working days from the issue of the citation to pay the $21,000 or appeal. This is not the first time the company has been held responsible for safety violations. The labor department issued Mountaire Farms a similar citation for a repeat serious violation on May 29, 2019.
According to a spokesperson from Mountaire Farms, the company “[has] appealed these citations because we believe they are without merit… We look forward to explaining how our industry works, and how we put the safety of our employees and consumers first.”
