Hazardous materials incident kills two workers at US manufacturing plant
14 September 2021
Two people were killed following a hazardous materials incident in North Carolina, US on September 12. Emergency responders attended a plant belonging to Valley Proteins at around 13:30 local time and pronounced two workers as dead at the scene.
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Firefighters and a Hazmat team attended the scene and helped the evacuation of a building at Valley Proteins, a company that collects and recycles animal processing waste from the food industry. The North Carolina OSHA Emergency Response Team also attended the scene.
Other employees who worked at Valley Proteins told local media that the two dead workers may have been exposed to hydrogen sulphide. Employees reportedly wear hydrogen sulphide monitors which begin beeping if the chemical is detected in the air.
In a statement released on September 13, Valley Proteins said the accident may have occurred due to a lack of following company safety procedures which both employees had been trained in.
The local sheriff’s office is investigating the incident and is working alongside other agencies to determine the cause.