3 missing, 20 hurt in NC Slim Jim plant collapse

By ALYSIA PATTERSON – 10 hours ago

GARNER, N.C. (AP) — Three people were missing and 20 taken to hospitals after an explosion at a Slim Jim meat products plant in North Carolina, officials said Tuesday.

Jeffrey Hammerstein, district chief with Wake County Emergency Medical Services, said five injured people were tagged as priority patients with serious conditions. Hammerstein said officials were searching for three people missing from the site in Garner, a Raleigh suburb, but it wasn't clear whether they were inside during the explosion.

About 300 people were in the plant, said ConAgra spokesman Dave Jackson.

Garner Mayor Ronnie Williams said injuries ranged from burns to smoke inhalation. Emergency crews were keeping people away because of concerns about the smell of ammonia ...

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Explosion at NC ConAgra meat plant

June 9, 2009 in Confined Space @ TPH, Environmental Protection Agency, Occupational Health & Safety, Safety | by Celeste Monforton

The Associated Press and other news sources are reporting on an explosion today at a meat processing facility in Garner, NC. Four workers are missing, at least 41 are injured, including several with very severe burns. One worker reports:

“I was picking up a piece of meat off the line and I felt it, the percussion in my chest. One of the guys I was working with got blown back, he flew backwards.”

A local news source WRAL.com reports the explosion:

“…caved in parts of the roof, sparked fires and caused an ammonia leak. …Many suffered from exposure to toxic fumes from ammonia leaks, and some also suffered chemical burns.”

This report quotes another worker:

“‘ “What I saw (and) heard was this boom, and the ceiling start coming down, and we all start running. Everyone was trying to get to the exit door. … I was just trying to get out…’”


...more at link...
http://thepumphandle.wordpress.com/2009/06/09/explosion-at-nc-conagra-meat-plant/

It seems like they don't take care of their buildings.