An immigration raid at a food processing plant that left 167 workers facing possible deportation also highlighted unsafe working conditions that already had been the target of a state investigation and a successful lawsuit by workers, officials said Wednesday.

The federal raid at the Fresh Del Monte Produce Co. plant near the Portland shipyards on Tuesday came after state regulators had opened a pair of new investigations into conditions facing mostly illegal workers who process fruits and vegetables.

Kevin Weeks, spokesman for Oregon OSHA, said the state investigation began after the complaints were received on May 14, and was followed by a random inspection on June 7 that generated a second investigation.

"So we've got two active investigations, side-by-side, currently under way," Weeks said.

A Fresh Del Monte Produce spokesman was not available in a call after to corporate headquarters in Coral Gables, Fla., after the close of business.

But the company noted in a statement released Wednesday that "Fresh Del Monte is committed to complying with all laws and regulations."

The complaints filed with the state support the observations of a federal undercover informant that were detailed in a search warrant affidavit filed by U.S. Immigration Customs Enforcement before the raid -- and the experience of a Willamette Week reporter who spent three days under cover at the plant for a story the Portland weekly newspaper published last month.

Among the observations of the federal undercover informant at the Fresh Del Monte plant listed in the affidavit:

-- Electrical extension cords were submerged in standing water, supervisors were not diligent about the cleanliness of vegetables before boxing for shipment, and the employee bathroom and cafeteria were "extremely dirty" and not cleaned on a regular basis.

-- There were about 3 inches of cold water on the production area floor, where most workers wore sneakers or shoes even though they were supposed to be provided with boots.

-- Workers were not paid overtime for the extra time it takes to return all the production equipment after a shift.

-- Shift supervisors were constantly yelling at workers and were "extremely rude."

Beth Slovic, the Willamette Week reporter, said she did not hear supervisors yelling -- but she noticed that many workers were wearing regular shoes instead of rubber boots, and they were asked to pay for protective equipment such as glove liners and aprons.

Slovic also said heavy forklifts were always moving around the plant floor, forcing workers to dodge them.

"They were constantly coming in every direction, and you had to be constantly on the lookout to make sure you didn't get 'smooshed,"' Slovic said.

The current state investigation is based on complaints that employees were required to use water near electrical equipment; they were forced to work ankle-deep in cold water; they were not provided personal protective gear such as aprons and gloves -- or forced to pay for them; and finally, that forklifts were being operated in an unsafe manner.

Fresh Del Monte Produce settled a lawsuit last year for $400,000 after eight former workers accused the food processor and a temporary staffing firm of violating state law by firing them for complaining about safety concerns and by withholding overtime pay, break periods and safety gear.

The former workers originally filed complaints with the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries in January 2005, listing the same allegations.

A state investigator found that the temporary staffing firm Fresh Del Monte had hired, Quality Manual Labor Inc., had violated worker rights, but the employment company and its owners vanished.