Workers fired over lettuce standing pic

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MAYFIELD HEIGHTS, Ohio, July 19 (UPI) -- Three Ohio Burger King employees were fired after an image of one of them standing on two open bins of the eatery's lettuce appeared online, the company said.

The company released a statement Tuesday saying the workers at the Mayfield Heights store were fired after the picture was posted to image-sharing Web site 4chan and went viral on the Internet.

"Burger King Corp. has recently been made aware of a photo posted on a social networking site that allegedly shows a Burger King restaurant employee violating the company's stringent food handling procedures," the statement read. "Food safety is a top priority at all Burger King restaurants and the company maintains a zero-tolerance policy against any violations such as the one in question."

"The restaurant where this photo was allegedly taken is independently-owned and operated by a Burger King franchisee. The franchisee has taken swift action to investigate this matter and terminated the three employees involved in this incident," the company said.