Date: March 11, 2020
Location: Rose Hill, North Carolina (USA)
Address: 469 Yellowcut Road, 28458
Type: Dust Explosion
Fuel: Unknown
Industry: Food Waste Recycling
Equipment: Welding Equipment
Company: Valley Proteins
Database Incidents: None Recorded
Loss: Five Injured
Capital Cost:
Status: Open
Confirmation: Unconfirmed
Company Description:
According to the company’s website, Valley Proteins recycles animal processing, supermarket and foodservice waste to create animal feed products. It was founded in 1949 and is headquartered in Winchester, Virginia, with outlets across the southern and eastern United States.
Incident Description:
On March 11, 2020, WTN reported an explosion at a food waste recycling facility in Rose Hill, North Carolina.
The explosion occurred at around 10:45 a.m. in the plant’s finished product area, which a company representative described as a “dusty area.” He believed that contractors were using a welder at the time of the explosion, although they did not have the proper “hot work” permits needed to be using welding and cutting equipment in that area.
Five workers were injured, resulting in three medical helicopters being brought in. They were airlifted to a regional burn center, some of them with third-degree burns.
The North Carolina Department of Labor is investigating the explosion.
OSHA Inspections:
An establishment search turned up one OSHA inspection for the Valley Proteins located in Rose Hill, but it was not flagged for combustible dust.
Sources:
WTN
