Two taken to hospital after chemical spill at Province newspaper printing plant
Simon Little
June 22, 2016 06:30 pm
Two people have been taken to hospital as a precaution after a chemical spill at a printing plant in Burnaby.
Acting Assistant Chief Gavin Summers with Burnaby Fire says the hazmat team was called in to reports of people vomiting, after a fork lift ran into a container of lithographic concentrate used in the printing process.
Summers says the Hazmat team responded, but quick acting staff prevented the situation from being worse.
“They did the right thing, they followed procedures, they evacuated the building and they got into fresh air and awaited our instructions.”
He says despite exposure, no one was seriously hurt.
“Nobody was in serious danger. The two that were proceeded to hospital were the ones that got the contaminants on their clothing themselves. All of the rest of the people were just in the vicinity, they were exposed they weren’t contaminated.”
13 people in total were exposed, but most were treated by paramedics on scene and released.
The Van Press plant at 8325 Riverbend Court Prints the Province Newspaper and a variety of magazines, and remains closed.
WorkSafe BC is now on scene and investigating.