Meatingplace.com
By Tom Johnston

An ammonia leak at JBS Packerland’s beef plant in Souderton, Pa., forced the company to send a number of employees to the hospital Tuesday morning as a precaution, but they all were treated and released, spokesman Chandler Keys told Meatingplace.

The leak reportedly occurred at 5 a.m. in a cooler and was detected as employees were arriving and preparing for work. No one was on the floor when the leak occurred, so no one was injured, Keys said.

Management evacuated the plant, initiated the company’s hazardous materials program and shut down the leak. Firefighters called in to check on the incident found no additional leakage, Keys said, adding that plant operations resumed by 10:30 a.m.

The cause of the leak is under investigation. “We’ve got a team looking into what happened and how it happened,” Keys said.

The Souderton plant employs more than 1,000 people and slaughters more than 2,000 head of cattle per day.