A hydrochloric acid spill Tuesday morning sent 23 workers to the hospital at an industrial plant in St. Catharines, including several who were directly exposed to the chemical.
The fire chief of St. Catharines, Dave Upper said emergency crews responded to THK Rhythm Automotive Canada Ltd. in Louth Street at around 9am, where five liters of acid were spilled and quickly vaporised.
Upper said the incident occurred when a contractor working at the factory “accidentally hit a release valve,” spilling hydrochloric acid from a vat of the chemical inside the plant that makes steering and suspension components for car manufacturers such as Ford, GM and BMW.
“They shut it down immediately, but there was a spill of five liters of hydrochloric acid,” Upper said. “Out of an abundance of caution, there were about 20 staff that we decided needed to be decontaminated.”
Upper said emergency crews used a decontamination facility at THK and then transported the workers to St. Catharines to be evaluated.
Niagara Emergency Medical Services spokesman Bryce Brunarski said three people were “directly exposed” to the acid.
“They were decontaminated by facility staff with the support of our CBRNE (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and Explosives) paramedics and St. Catharines Fire,” he said, adding that they were transported to the ‘hospital as Canadian Triage Acuity Scale (CTAS) 2. , requiring rapid medical intervention.
Those three workers were in direct contact with the acid in both liquid and vapor form, Upper said.
Brunarksi said nine other patients were taken to hospital by paramedics, after “minor exposure” to the acid.
Ten others were taken to the hospital on board a city bus, as a precaution. He said these patients were “asymptomatic, low-acuity, stable individuals with limited exposure” to the spill.
In addition, one worker presented himself independently to the hospital, for a total of 23 affected by the spill.
Upper said a city bus was used instead of an ambulance, due to the number of workers involved, as well as its non-emergency status.
“With the number of people involved, we thought it was easier than tying up their resources in transfer capacity,” he said.
Upper said the acid was fully contained within the building.
“There was no vapor cloud that went out into the community,” he said. “There is no harm or risk to the community.”
Thompson Products Employees Association union president Frank Viscek, which represents 275 workers at the plant, said he and vice president Henry Clarkson were relieved no one was seriously injured.
“Anytime there’s any type or chemical spill, I mean, we’re talking about hydrochloric acid and that’s pretty heavy. At first we were concerned about everybody’s well-being,” Viscek said.
He said union representatives spent the morning and afternoon making sure everyone was accounted for as they tried to gather more information about how the incident occurred.
He said he was working in his office on floor 1 when the alarms started going off, across Louth Street from the facility where the spill occurred.
“As soon as the problem was identified, both plants were evacuated. We are not even close to this spill, but both plants evacuated immediately and fire trucks and ambulances were on the scene within minutes,” Viscek said.
Clarkson said the company’s internal emergency response team was immediately involved to ensure everyone was taken care of.
Viscek said, “It was handled well.”
Union representatives said they did not know the strength of the acid used as part of an electroplating process.
As of Tuesday afternoon, Viscek said the area where the spill occurred remained closed to all but emergency workers and investigators.
“Right now it’s caution, caution, caution,” he said.
“These events are amazing, especially when we work so close together. We’re not a big plant, so we know each other pretty well. But we’re happy because it looks like everyone’s going to come out unscathed.”
Calls made to the company’s management were not immediately returned.
The incident prompted an emergency response from Niagara Health, where a Code Orange was called to alert emergency department staff to prepare for numerous incoming patients.
The hospital system issued a public service announcement, saying it was working with emergency responders “to ensure the best possible care for anyone affected.”
“We ask the community to please avoid the emergency department at the St. Catharines site and only visit if you have a critical or life-threatening emergency,” the statement said, while advising residents to visit the Niagara Falls or Welland Falls Emergency Department. , or urgent care centers in Fort Erie and Port Colborne.
The hospital resumed normal operations around 1:30 p.m., after completing its response to the hazardous materials incident.
Viscek said all patients were discharged Tuesday afternoon.
Niagara Health President and CEO Lynn Guerriero said in a press release, “This was an excellent example of our healthcare team coming together to manage a serious situation in a calm, efficient manner and professional. Our healthcare teams are under more pressure than ever, but this response shows why we say our people are our greatest asset. I am proud of our frontline staff and everyone who has played a part in today’s answer.”
Ministry of Labor spokesman Kalem McSween said two inspectors from the ministry were assigned to investigate the incident and were on site Tuesday afternoon. He said the investigation is ongoing.
The Ministry of the Environment was also contacted.
Viscek said the union will be awaiting the results of the Labout Ministry’s investigation before making any recommendations to the company.
Upper said the incident drew a lot of resources from emergency services, making it look “like a big deal.”
He said the emergency call initially came in as a structure fire that prompted a “full response” from St. John’s Fire and Emergency Services. Catharines, including 19 firefighters in five vehicles. Several Niagara EMS ambulances and other vehicles were also dispatched, and Niagara Regional Police were called to the scene to assist around 10:30 a.m.
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