An explosion on February 15, 2021 at the Agri Star meat and poultry plant in Postville, IA resulted in the injury of two workers. The proximal cause of the event was a rupture of a gas line by a forklift resulting in ignition and explosion of a liquid propane tank.
The inspection of the Agri Star plant followed a Federal complaint filed by the American Civil Liberties Union and seven other groups in November 2020 regarding inaction over COVID-19.
The Iowa OSHA has come under criticism for lack of response to outbreaks of COVID-19 in meat packing plants in the state.