Second Worker Death in Seven Months Reported at Bladen County Smithfield Plant

Tar Heel, North Carolina — January 12, 2026 — According to WECT News 6, a worker has died at Smithfield Foods’ pork processing facility in Bladen County, marking the second employee fatality reported at the plant within seven months.

Smithfield Foods confirmed the death but has not publicly identified the employee or disclosed the circumstances surrounding the incident. According to the company, it has notified the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and is cooperating with the ongoing investigation.

The Tar Heel facility, which employs approximately 5,000 workers, is recognized as the world’s largest pork processing plant. When approached for comment on camera, Smithfield declined to answer questions. In a written statement, the company expressed condolences to the employee’s family.

The death follows another fatal incident at the same facility in June 2025. Smithfield previously stated that the earlier death resulted from a medical emergency. That incident remains under federal review.

Federal safety records show that the Tar Heel plant has been the site of multiple serious workplace incidents over the years. OSHA inspection data indicate that Smithfield has been assessed more than $100,000 in federal safety penalties over the past decade related to workplace hazards.

Following the June death, OSHA issued penalties totaling $33,100, citing two serious safety violations. Those violations involved problems with electrical wiring methods, equipment, and protective design. OSHA identifies a serious violation as a condition where a hazard could reasonably result in death or severe physical harm if not corrected. The penalties are currently scheduled to be paid by December 19, 2025.

OSHA records identify 36-year-old Moners Claude as the worker involved in the June fatality.

Earlier incidents at the Tar Heel facility also appear in federal records. In January 2023, a person was found deceased in the plant’s parking lot. That death was ruled accidental, and no safety penalties were issued. The individual’s identity was not released.

In October 2018, Smithfield was fined approximately $70,000 after a 55-year-old employee, Michael Jessup, was killed while working at the plant. An OSHA investigation determined that the incident involved failures related to hazardous energy control. According to the investigation, the worker was struck while attempting to remove a damaged wheel from a trolley chain system. Jessup, a Clarkton resident, had worked at the facility for more than a decade.

Additional OSHA citations dating back to 2016 show that Smithfield has paid tens of thousands of dollars for other safety violations at its Bladen County operations, including issues involving machinery safeguards and fall protection.

WECT reports that efforts are ongoing to obtain further public records related to workplace safety at the Tar Heel facility, including details surrounding Saturday’s death, inspection reports from the past five years, and complaints submitted to the North Carolina Department of Labor.

The Ramsay Law Firm has attorneys who are Board Certified in Workers’ Compensation claims to help individuals with severe injuries and death claims.

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Notes: Our team created this post using secondary sources and has not independently verified all the facts surrounding the accident. If you find any incorrect details, please contact the Ramsay Law Firm so we can update the post with the most accurate information. This post will be removed if requested.

Disclaimer: The information provided in this post is not intended to be legal or medical advice and is not a solicitation for business. The photograph used in this post is not representative of this accident. If you are injured in an accident, seek medical attention immediately, then speak to a North Carolina personal injury lawyer as soon as possible.