Cloud of nitrogen killed 6 workers at Georgia plant, and it was preventable, feds say

A liquid nitrogen leak that killed six workers at a Georgia plant was “completely preventable,” federal officials said in a report.

The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board shared its final report Dec. 11, issuing safety recommendations for different parties involved in the Foundation Food Group workers’ deaths.

In the 168-page report, the agency lays out the background, safety issues and recommendations following the January 2021 incident. The agency does not issue citations, though the Occupational Safety and Health Administration did issue three citations following the incident.

McClatchy News could not immediately reach Foundation Food Group for comment Dec. 15.

The plant used nitrogen to freeze poultry. Two workers were performing maintenance in the freezer at the company’s facility in Gainesville when a bent tube started releasing an unsafe amount of liquid nitrogen, officials said in the report.

It vaporized, filling the room.

The workers died of asphyxiation and were left there for up to an hour until another worker found them, along with the four-to five-foot-high cloud of nitrogen, the agency said.

That employee alerted management, and they began evacuating the building.

Hearing about the issue, 14 others went to the site to investigate or try to rescue their coworkers, leading to four additional worker deaths, according to the report.

Three more workers and one firefighter were seriously injured, officials said.

“This needless and senseless tragedy was completely preventable,” CSB chairperson Steve Owens said in the release.

The agency said it found five main safety concerns, including lack of atmospheric monitoring, equipment safety and emergency preparedness. The report also said workers weren’t trained to recognize oxygen-deficient environments.

The company didn’t immediately realize there was a nitrogen leak before other workers attempted to pull their coworkers out of the room and became unconscious, according to the report.

By the time firefighters arrived, they found the room filled with vapor at a floor temperature of -100 degrees.

“Workers were not aware of the deadly consequences of a liquid nitrogen release – ultimately trying to save their colleagues led to them sacrificing their own lives,” CBS investigator Drew Sahli said. “This is a known hazard, and better training and communication could have prevented such a tragedy.”

Someone exposed to too much nitrogen can die when they don’t take in enough oxygen and asphyxiate. Symptoms of asphyxiation include dizziness, fainting, and nausea, the agency said.

The agency said it issued safety recommendations to “the current facility owner, the manufacturer of the freezer, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), an industry trade association and two standard-setting organizations.”

This story was originally published December 15, 2023 at 6:29 PM with the headline "Cloud of nitrogen killed 6 workers at Georgia plant, and it was preventable, feds say."