A hazardous materials crew evacuated the Sullivan Higdon &
Sink building near North 20th Street and Central Avenue. (Bill
Lindsay/KCTV5 News)
Posted:
July 20, 2015
Federal work place safety investigators are investigating after three people were sent to the hospital for carbon monoxide poisoning.
OSHA had no comment on Monday afternoon's incident, which sent dozens of people fleeing from a downtown Kansas City business.
The air emergency occurred just after noon at Sullivan, Higdon, and Sink, a marketing firm at 20th Street and Central Avenue.
"They got readings as high as 1,300 parts per million, which is a lot higher than the industry standard of 50 parts per million," Kansas City Fire Department Battalion Chief James Garrett said.
Garrett said the call originally came in as a shortness of breath. It ended with three people at the University of Kansas Hospital.
Investigators said construction workers were on the lower floors using power tools in an area that was not well ventilated. One of the workers passed out, the other became sick. That's when fire crews were called. It's not clear how the third person who became sick was connected to the business.
All of the business's 80-plus employees were evacuated after firefighters detected the high carbon monoxide readings.
One of the three injured was taken to the hospital in a private vehicle and is expected to be okay. The other two victims are in critical condition Monday night.
The fire department said carbon monoxide detectors, commonplace in in homes, are not required in commercial buildings.
For more on carbon monoxide safety, go to: http://www.nfpa.org/safety-information/for-consumers/fire-and-safety-equipment/carbon-monoxide/carbon-monoxide-safety-tips