Board reviews inspection delinquencies and a severe stack incident at Valley Proteins

At its Sept. 11 quarterly meeting the State of Tennessee Board of Boiler Rules heard a report from Chief Boiler Inspector Jimmy Watson on 2024 inspection activity, delinquency rates and active variances, and discussed a recent self-cleaning stack incident at Valley Proteins that caused severe damage.

Watson reported the annualized state inspections for 2024 to date and said delinquency rates remain a concern with a stated goal to reduce them. Board Member Micah Lashley asked about the difference between internal and external inspections and when delinquencies tend to spike. Chairman David Baughman raised a separate concern about variances at Tristar Southern Hills and suggested those variances be checked more frequently.

Watson told the board that Tristar Southern Hills’s log sheet needs updating and that the department continues to examine inspection timing, including inspections performed after normal business hours. During the open discussion the board reviewed a self-cleaning stack incident at Valley Proteins, 9300 Johnson Road in Strawberry Plains; Watson elaborated on the circumstances and said he is waiting for the official incident report.

Board members discussed the need for additional operator and inspector training in response to the incident. No formal directive, timeline or vote on new training requirements is recorded in the meeting minutes; the board scheduled its next quarterly meeting for Dec. 11, 2024, where follow-up could be addressed.