Company Probes Whether Procedures Were Followed After Deaths

An eastern North Carolina industrial operation says it's investigating whether safety procedures were followed after an accident that killed two workers over the weekend. The Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office said two Valley Proteins workers were found unresponsive Sunday at the Fayetteville plant and the building was evacuated. According to its website, Valley Proteins collects, renders and recycles fat and bone trimmings, meat waste and used cooking oil. WTVD-TV reports that the company said Monday that one maintenance worker had worked there for 13 years and the other had been employed for less than one month. The company says the “accident may have occurred by lack of following company safety procedures which both employees have been trained in.”