CDC: Language barrier [didn't speak English] caused chlorine gas leak

Yahoo News ^ | 3 hrs ago | By KELLY P. KISSEL

[DeaconBenjamin]

A chlorine gas leak that sickened nearly 200 people at a Tyson Foods plant in Arkansas last year happened because a worker who couldn't read the English-language label on a barrel of chemicals inadvertently poured bleach into it, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a report released Thursday.

Tyson Foods disputed the report, saying federal investigators misidentified the worker who caused the accident.

The CDC found that, at Springdale, Ark., in June 2011, a Spanish-speaking worker poured sodium hypochlorite, which is bleach, into a 55-gallon drum that had been left in the wrong place and that contained a residual solution of an acidic antimicrobial agent, creating chlorine gas.

"The worker who mixed the sodium hypochlorite with the leftover acidic solution told investigators he knew such a mixture was dangerous but did not recognize the drum and could not read the label to ascertain its contents," the CDC wrote of the June 27, 2011, incident.

Workers scurried from the poultry plant after being exposed to the poisonous gasy.

Of the 600 workers who were at the plant, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health interviewed 545. Of those, 195 said they sought medical help and 152 of those were hospitalized. Three workers developed irritant-induced asthma, the agency said.

"This chlorine release and its resultant health effects were preventable," the CDC said. An earlier study said Hispanics are killed on the job at a higher rate than other workers and that training programs should ensure employees understand hazards. "All communication, training, and signage in the workplace should be easy-to-read and provided in languages understood by workers."

Tyson Foods said "Since mid-2011, we've put additional controls in place to limit access to chemicals in the plant and we've continued to emphasize training for those authorized to handle such chemicals."

[Da Coyote]

OK, so we know some things about the perp:

1. They do have a driver’s license.
2. They probably don’t have any type of insurance.
3. They are on the voting list as a dim-bulb-crat.
4. They voted at least twice for the Obamadork.

Go to it, law enforcement.

Oh, forgot, Holder’s Just-Us dept will quench all real evidence.

[TurboZamboni]

Sí, se puede

FUBAR

[umgud]

"The worker who mixed the sodium hypochlorite with the leftover acidic solution told investigators he knew such a mixture was dangerous but did not recognize the drum and could not read the label to ascertain its contents,"

So, the idiot poured the hypo in anyway.

[zagger]

Hey Tyson, saving the big buck now? Penny wise and dollar dumb.
“An earlier study said Hispanics are killed on the job at a higher rate than other workers”
Duh. Really what does it take to understand the world we live in?

[HiTech RedNeck]

I can’t quite think of what the gas release would be called, but a “leak” isn’t it.

[factoryrat]

MSDS, Chemtrec, and all of the warnings are printed in plain English, along with universally understood symbols. Not being printed in Spanish is no excuse. What most people don't realize is that a good portion of Spanish speaking people are illiterate in Spanish, let alone English. You get what you pay for.

[sarasmom]

I have not knowingly purchased any Tyson product for many years.Factual statement.

(Semi-Legal disclaimer: The following statement is merely a written statement of my own personal and biased opinions based solely on my imperfect recollections of the many and various publically reported “news articles” regarding Tyson Foods, their employees, and/or their entire product supply chain. It is strictly my personal opinion, for which I claim a right to maintain and express. I have no personal financial holdings in Tyson Foods, nor any of their competitors, and do not pretend to any expertise or inside knowledge of the food industry) (Was that disclaimer enough to protect me from Tyson's lawyers?)

Tyson seemingly made (my opinion) a corporate level decision to routinely purchase from product supply lines of businesses who have habitually hired illegal aliens, and/or consistently failed minimum USDA standards, whenever inspectors from the USDA were forced to inspect them, or made those reports public.

I have to remember to check out exactly where Olive Garden buys their raw products. Both I and my child have recently experienced temporary “digestive issues” after consuming meals bought from local restaurants.

[kabumpo]

I was going to say that, but you beat me to it. It’s not only that many Hispanics are illiterate, it’s that even though some can read, they don’t take in information that way. A door can say in big red letters, Peligro, prohibido de entrar, and they will walk right in.

[Colorado Doug]

Is chlorine gas halal? Tyson could have a problem here.

[thecodont]

There was a story similar to this in East Palo Alto, CA, about a year ago.

Probably this one.

http://www.paloaltoonline.com/news/show_story.php?id=22517

SF Chronicle covered it.

The employee “was unable to read” the label” and mixed ammonia with chlorine, with predictable results. “Unable to read the label” = not literate in English and probably barely literate in his/her native language (Spanish?).

[1010RD]

We need more symbols & pretty colors for our dumbed down native workers as well as our recent immigrants.

"English Only" will be a funny phrase 1000 years from now when archaeologists wonder why we went from letters to hieroglyphics.