LITTLE ROCK — Tyson Foods Inc. of Springdale and federal regulatory agencies overseeing workplace safety remained at odds Monday over the cause of a chemical leak at the company’s Berry Street plant in Springdale that sickened scores of workers in June 2011.
A National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health study released last week said that a worker not fluent in English mixed sodium hypochlorite into a 55-gallon drum that contained residual acidic antimicrobial solution, resulting in release of chlorine gas that spread throughout the plant. About 600 workers at the plant were evacuated.
Tyson said in a statement that the worker’s primary language is English and that the employee had previously received hazardous chemical training.
Asked Monday how the institute could have misidentified the employee as non-English-speaking, Tyson spokesman Worth Sparkman said in an e-mail that, “We can’t speak for NIOSH.”
Fred Blosser, an institute spokesman, declined further comment on the report Monday. “We stand by the accuracy of the details in the article,” he said.
Tyson said in its statement that, “While we do have a diverse work force at this plant, we work hard to communicate with our members, providing interpreters for those who may not be fluent in English. ... The plant has a safety committee that involves management and hourly team members to make sure they understand safety-related matters.”
NIOSH is part of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The agency’s report said that 545 workers were interviewed. The report said that 95 workers reported seeking medical treatment and 152 reported being hospitalized.
Follow-up visits four and six months after the leak found that three workers had developed a condition known as reactive airways dysfunction syndrome, a form of asthma caused by irritants that can persist for life.
Tyson said in its statement that since mid-2011, the company has put additional controls to limit access to chemicals in the plant and continued emphasizing training for those who handle chemicals.
After the leak, Tyson said, most employees were back on the job in a few days, about 10 were off for two weeks and two were off for six weeks.
The company said that to its knowledge, only one employee continues to be treated for respiratory symptoms.
Business, Pages 23 on 12/11/2012