From the Tribune staff reports
GAINESVILLE, Ga. — Six workers were killed Thursday at a poultry plant in Georgia.
The individuals lost their lives in a chemical leak of liquid nitrogen at the Foundation Food Group plant in Gainesville, Ga. According to reports, maintenance personnel, supervisors and managers were among the victims. No names have been released.
Authorities say the accident sent 11 others to the hospital Thursday.
Stuart Appelbaum, President of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU), which represents over 15,000 poultry workers at facilities across the southern United States issued the following statement:
“It is a complete and utter tragedy that six workers at a poultry facility in Gainesville, Ga. will never be returning home to their families after the nitrogen leak today.
“The health and safety of workers must be a top priority at poultry plants, the same plants that are providing essential food on dinner tables in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. Had simple safety protocols been followed today workers lives wouldn’t have been on the line. The egregious, lack of standards at non-union facilities like the one in Gainesville cost essential workers their lives today.”