Perdue Farms completed the dismantling of its feed mill in Cofield, North Carolina, on June 12, nearly four months after an explosion at the facility killed one worker and injured others.
The company determined the structure could not be safely repaired after consulting with engineers and independent experts. Dismantling began April 20 and took approximately eight weeks to complete.
Fatal explosion in February
An explosion occurred at the Cofield facility early morning on February 21. Four workers were on site at the time. One worker died, two were treated and released from a hospital, and one remained hospitalized. Perdue has not released additional details about the workers’ identities.
Following the initial incident, the company experienced intermittent rubble fires beneath debris at the site, which continued until demolition work eliminated the underlying source.
Specialized contractors handle demolition
Perdue engaged specialized contractors to carry out the dismantling using a controlled, step-by-step process. Work took place from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Saturday. Crews implemented dust control, noise mitigation and traffic management measures throughout the project. Safety and environmental professionals monitored conditions during the work.
Operations remain closed
The grain receiving and oilseed crush operations at the Cofield site were not damaged in the February incident. However, those operations remain temporarily closed due to their proximity to the feed mill and will resume once the company determines it is safe to do so.
Perdue is working with affected workers to identify new opportunities across its operations. The company said it is supporting workers who wish to transfer to other positions and continuing to assist grain and oilseed crush workers as they prepare for operations to restart.
