GSK temporarily closes Zebulon facility after bacteria found in cooling towers
ZEBULON, NC (WTVD) -- Glaxo Smith Kline says it has temporarily shut down a manufacturing site on North Arendell Ave. in Zebulon after routine testing found bacteria in building cooling towers.
In a statement, the company said all staff who work in the facility are leaving, and 2nd and 3rd shift employees will be notified not to come to work until the situation has been remedied.
The towers will be cleaned and retested before the facility reopens. GSK said the cooling towers do not directly put air into the building.
"We are taking every precaution to ensure the health and safety of our employees, as well as the safety and integrity of our products," said the company.
On Wednesday, the company issued another statement about the incident.
- GlaxoSmithKline's Zebulon manufacturing site was temporarily shut down Tuesday August 11, 2015 after routine testing found Legionella bacteria isolated in a cooling tower. The cooling tower is a standalone structure, which does not come into contact with product manufactured at the facility. As a precautionary measure, staff working at the facility were sent home and employees scheduled to report to work were being notified not to do so until further notification while the situation is remedied. The cooling towers will be cleaned and retested before the site goes back into operation. GSK is taking these precautions to ensure the health and safety of our employees, as well as the safety and integrity of our products.
State health officials told ABC11 on Tuesday that they were not aware of any Legionnaire's disease cases associated with the facility. They said most people exposed to Legionella bacteria do not become ill.
