CHICKEN PROCESSING PLANT FINED FOR AMMONIA RELEASE

RALEIGH - Air quality officials have fined a Robeson County chicken processing plant $27,410 for improper handling of hazardous materials that led to a fatal ammonia release.

The N.C. Division of Air Quality assessed Mountaire Farms Inc. of Lumber Bridge with the penalty for violations that contributed to the release of anhydrous ammonia at the plant on June 20, 2009. Ammonia is a toxic gas used in many industrial processes. The Mountaire Farms release killed one employee and injured three others.

The state Division of Air Quality cited the company for violating rules aimed at ensuring the safe handling and storage of hazardous materials, as specified under Section 112(r) of the federal Clean Air Act. The rules require affected companies to develop a Risk Management Program to make sure they properly store hazardous materials, train their employees on safe handling methods, and prepare plans for responding to emergency releases.

Based on its investigation, the state Division of Air Quality cited Mountaire the maximum penalty that it can assess for a single violation, $25,000, due to the severity of the incident and previous problems at the facility. The assessment also included $2,410 to cover the division's investigative costs.

The division's investigation found that Mountaire did not have a complete and proper Risk Management Program even though the division had cited the company for RMP shortcomings the previous year. In March 2008, DAQ assessed the company $4,506 for earlier violations of risk management rules.

More information about air quality issues can be found at the division's Web site: www.ncair.org.

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