TAR HEEL — The Smithfield Foods plant in Tar Heel was evacuated at about 10 a.m. Monday due to an issue with the ceiling at the plant.

“Smithfield Foods is working to fix a problem with the roof at the company’s Tar Heel facility,” said Kathleen Kirkham, a spokesperson for Smithfield Foods. “Our main concern is for the safety of our employees, and all employees have been sent home. The company plans to mitigate the impact of production losses by adding shifts at other plants.”

Kirkham added there was no ammonia leak and there were no injuries reported due to the incident. When asked about any product losses due to the incident, she said she was unaware of any.

However, Smithfield employee Brenda Smith, who said she has worked at the plant for 16 years, expressed her concern and was upset by the incident. Smith said employees were sent out of the plant shortly after the first break at 9:45 a.m. due to an issue with the roof on the kill floor.

“They made us clean the meat off the line (before employees could leave),” said Smith.

She also expressed concerns about the recent ammonia leaks that have ocurred over the past 16 months.

“There are too many ammonia leaks. Something needs to be done,” said Smith.

According to reports, the Bladen County Sheriff’s Office and N.C. Highway Patrol assisted in evacuating the plant.

The plant recently suffered an ammonia leak last week which forced the evacuation of the first shift employees. During that incident, the plant was evacuated at about 1:20 a.m. Company officials said the leak was handled and operations resumed later in the day.

The plant also had an ammonia leak in June 2014 when a water tank collapsed and caused a rush of water that caused compressors and other equipment to be knocked around. That leak forced the evacuation of about 2,000 employees and kept the plant closed for a portion of the week.

The Smithfield Foods plant in Tar Heel is touted as the largest meat-packing and hog slaughtering operation in the world, according to Wikipedia. The company employs about 4,833 at its Tar Heel location, according to the Smithfield Foods website, and the plant has the capacity to process more than 32,000 hogs per day.

Erin Smith can be reached by calling 910-862-4163.

Erin Smith|Bladen Journal Employees at the Smithfield Foods plant in Tar Heel were sent home after an issue occurred with the ceiling at the plant. No injuries were reported as a result of the incident and the company says repairs are underway.
https://www.bladenjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/web1_IMG_3614.jpgErin Smith|Bladen Journal Employees at the Smithfield Foods plant in Tar Heel were sent home after an issue occurred with the ceiling at the plant. No injuries were reported as a result of the incident and the company says repairs are underway.