Worker Hurt at North Carolina Plant Where 2 Recently Died

September 28, 2021

A worker at a North Carolina plant was taken to a hospital over the weekend after a crane collapsed onto a truck, officials said.

A Fayetteville fire department official said the crane fell on the cab of a truck while the driver was inside on Saturday, news outlets report. The incident comes two weeks after two workers died after they were found unresponsive at the same Valley Proteins plant.

On Sunday, some workers gathered to remember their coworkers who were killed and hurt on the job and call for safer working conditions.

Valley Proteins has said it was investigating the fatal incident earlier this month and workers may not have followed safety protocols. State labor officials are also investigating.

Chris Hollis, who worked as a driver at the plant for a year, is now the spokesman for the Valley Proteins Blue Collar Workers Organizing Committee, part of UE Local 150. Hollis said the incident is one of the reasons workers are speaking out.

The committee formed last year has raised concerns about long work hours, lack of personal protection equipment, hazardous pay, paid sick leave, wage theft and unsafe working conditions. Hollis and other workers say said those in leadership at Valley Proteins have a duty to keep employees safe.

Topics North Carolina

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