Two employees die at Fayetteville processing plant

Officials said the incident happened in a pit at Valley Proteins plant, at 1309 Industrial Drive, around 1:30 p.m. The plant recycles meat waste and bone trimmings to make pet food, according to employees.

The two people who died worked at the plant, according to Cumberland County Sheriff Ennis Wright. Their identities are being withheld pending family notification.

Deputies said the cause of death is still under investigation.

An employee at the plant told WRAL News that working in these settings can be risky. The employee, who asked to not be identified, said it's likely the two employees found unresponsive were exposed to hydrogen sulfide while working in the pit. High exposures to the gas can be extremely dangerous, and even deadly, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

"Every single employee has an H2S [hydrogen sulfide] monitor that will start beeping if it detects H2S in the air, and the faster it beeps, the higher the content," explained the Valley Proteins employee.

Valley Proteins released a statement about the deaths, saying that the employees may have been harmed because they didn't follow safety proceedures. A spokesperson with the company said they are investigating the deaths.

The Valley Proteins employee said workers knew something was wrong Sunday when an employee tried to radio in and didn't receive a response.

"They were discovered by two production employees who happened to be walking by the area and found them face down, unresponsive," he said.

Valley Proteins has had eight health violations at North Carolina Valley proteins plants, but none at this Fayetteville plant.

An expert who specializes in confined space rescues told WRAL News that the top three reasons for most fatalities at plants are low levels of oxygen, chemical exposures and engulfment hazards.

The City of Fayetteville Fire Department hazmat and Pearce's Mill Volunteer Fire Department responded to the incident and evacuated the building. North Carolina OSHA's emergency response team also responded to the deaths.

Anyone with information on the incident is asked to contact Fayetteville police at 910-677-5506 or Crime Stoppers at 910-483-8477.