Helene's Shadow: Profit Over Lives

The article details the ongoing fight for justice by the families of six Tyson Foods employees who died in a preventable chemical leak at a poultry processing plant in Albertville, Alabama, in January 2024. The victims, trapped in a small room, succumbed to nitrogen asphyxiation. The United Steelworkers (USW) union, representing the families, is challenging the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) decision that the deaths were "not work-related." The union argues that the incident was a direct result of Tyson's negligence and failure to implement proper safety procedures and equipment for handling hazardous chemicals. Evidence suggests Tyson Foods knew about the dangerous nitrogen leak but failed to adequately address it, prioritize employee safety or properly warn the workers about the danger. The families are demanding a full investigation into the circumstances surrounding the tragedy, arguing that TOSHA (the Tennessee Occupational Safety and Health Administration), shielded Tyson Foods from accountability by claiming the deaths were not work related. The USW intends to fight TOSHA's findings. The article suggests the fight for justice for the victims is not just about holding Tyson Foods accountable but also about exposing the dangerous conditions prevalent in the poultry processing industry and the systemic failure of regulatory agencies to protect workers. find the original article here: https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2025/04/07/dxtq-a07.html