Single Point of Failure – 6 Dead
The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) released a video on its investigation into the deadly January 28, 2021, liquid nitrogen release at the Foundation Food Group (FFG) poultry processing plant in Gainesville, Georgia, that killed six people and seriously injured three others.
The release occurred when the bubbler tube which measured and controlled the level of liquid nitrogen in an immersion freezer at the facility was bent, causing an abnormally large amount of liquid nitrogen to be pumped into the freezer, which exceeded the freezer’s capacity. The excess liquid nitrogen overflowed out of the freezer and then vaporized, forming a deadly vapor cloud inside the poorly ventilated freezer room. Two people who were in the room at the time of the release died from asphyxiation, and four additional workers also were asphyxiated and died when they entered the freezer room during the incident.
