001038 Accident Halts Shift At Swift Minn Plant

Chicago - First-shift operations were halted Wednesday at the Conagra unit Swift and Co. hog plant in Worthington, Minn., after an overnight maintenance worker was seriously injured in an accident, company sources said.

“It's just the first shift. Those hogs that we missed on the first shift are going to be rescheduled. We will have them caught up with an extra shift on Saturday. It shouldn't affect our weekly volume at all,” said Bret Fox, Swift spokesman.

The Worthington plant has a daily hog slaughter capacity of 15,500 head, Fox said.

Fox said the accident involved a member of the contracted night clean-up crew who became entangled in an auger in the rendering part of the plant.

“It was pretty traumatic. His lower legs were crushed. A doctor was flown in and he amputated below both knees to get him out. It's a pretty tough one. He never lost consciousness so hopefully he'll be fine once he gets the care he needs,” Fox said.

Chief Mike Cumiskey of the Worthington Police Department said officers were dispatched to the by-product part of the plant at 4:12 a.m. CDT.

“It was strictly accidental,” Cumiskey said.

The worker was airlifted by helicopter to a hospital about 60 miles away in Sioux Falls, S.D.

“We've got somebody enroute to Sioux Falls to check on his condition,” Fox said.

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