The state Department of Labor found 26 serious health and safety violations at Con Agra's Slim Jim plant in Garner, some of which led to the massive explosion in June that killed four and injured dozens more.
ConAgra was fined $134,773 and ordered to correct dozens of problems. Energy Systems Analysts, a Hickory company hired to install a commercial water heater at the plant, was cited for 28 serious violations and fined $58,100.
In the citation reports, Labor Department investigators explain how the blast likely occurred.
A contractor, in the presence of Con Agra management, was trying to light a gas-fired water heater inside a pump room. The contract worker had improperly purged a new fuel supply line by removing a pressure gauge, allowing gas to vent into the enclosed room, the report says.
The pump room contained motors and circuit panels, any of which could have ignited the deadly blast. A number of other hazards, including artificial lighting, surrounded the contractor as he vented the line.
The Department of Labor inspected 15 other companies after the explosion, including several other subcontractors doing work at ConAgra. Those companies were not cited.
At least one lawsuit, filed on behalf of several injured employees, has been filed against ConAgra and Energy Systems Analysts for their role in the explosion.
Among the ConAgra plant's infractions:
Failing to check or evaluate the subcontractor's safety record before hiring it.
Failing to inform subcontractors that ammonia was being used in the plant's air conditioning and refrigeration system, a potential hazard.
Failing to alert some employees to the hazards of anhydrous ammonia in their work area when they were assigned there.
Some employees were not able to hear the fire alarm signal or an intercom announcement that sounded after the blast.
State law allows the Department of Labor to fine companies no more than $7,000 for each serious infraction, and requires that it consider various factors, such as the company's size and safety record and its cooperation with investigators.
"The penalties are not designed in any way to make up for injuries suffered or the loss of life," Labor Department spokesman Neal O'Briant said in a news release.
ConAgra and Energy Systems Analysts may appeal their fines. They must also devise a plan to correct the problems investigators found.
No comment now
ConAgra spokeswoman Stephanie Childs said of the citations: "Since the accident, we have worked closely and fully cooperated with the agency throughout its investigation. We are reviewing their comments and findings but cannot comment on them at this time. As appropriate, we will follow up with the agency on any possible next steps."
ConAgra will finally begin to clean up the south side of the plant later this month, the first time the company has been given access to the site of the explosion.
Production is still limited at the plant. More than 300 employees were laid off the week before Thanksgiving.
Several dozen are still too ill or injured to return to work.
