ObAgro
Amid a wave of accidents involving ammonia gas, meat processing companies are on the fire map, putting workers and the community at serious risk.
Last Sunday, October 27, an accident hit a poultry processing plant at the JBS unit in Passo Fundo, Rio Grande do Sul. The site was evacuated and there were no injuries.
Fire at the JBS Passo Fundo unit. Source: Gravataí 24 Horas
The recent history of fires in meatpacking plants has already accumulated quite dramatic cases, such as the fire at JBS in Diamantino, Mato Grosso do Sul, in June 2023, and the fire at Frango Pioneiro, in Joaquim Távora, Paraná, in September 2024. There are also explosions such as those that occurred at JBS in Porto Velho, Rondônia, in January 2024, and at JBS in Osasco, São Paulo, in September 2024.
Throughout 2024, we saw cases of fires in meatpacking plants spread throughout Brazil. Between December 2023 and October 2024, thirteen (13) fires and two (2) explosions in meatpacking plants have already been recorded in the country, at least 1 fire per month.
Fires and explosions in meat packing plants in Brazil (2023 - 2024)
Fires in meatpacking plants are a sign of corporations’ lack of investment in infrastructure maintenance, such as electrical systems and gas pipelines. Proximity to machine rooms and ammonia gas systems poses an additional risk, potentially causing massive fires.
Pantanal Refrigerator, in Várzea Grande (MT): Fire occurred in September 2024 - Photo: CBM-MT
This is yet another symptom of the inequality promoted by meat processing companies: while they project astronomical profits and secure income for shareholders, they keep workers' wages low, without any real increases, while at the same time exposing them to risks of various kinds: chemical poisoning, RSI/WRMD, mental disorders and diseases caused by biological agents.
The lack of adequate maintenance of meat processing plants adds yet another dimension in which work accidents can occur. This is aggravated by the current scenario in which the meat processing industry is one of the sectors that causes the most sick workers in Brazil.
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