Four employees who were taken to hospital following the leak at the company warehouse have been discharged
All four employees of a food distribution company who were taken to hospital on 26 January following an ammonia leak at its warehouse have been discharged.
Some 100 workers were evacuated from the building that houses Ben Foods, even before personnel from the Singapore Civil Defence Force arrived at the scene.
Three people were decontaminated by being washed down with water before they were taken to hospital.
Another worker was brought to the hospital later in the afternoon after complaining of shortness of breath.
The Ministry of Manpower issued a stop work order under the Workplace Safety and Health Act. No work should be done until certain measures are taken.
A manager at a store in an adjacent building said he could smell ammonia when he reached his workplace at 8.30 am.
"At about 10.30 am, the smell became unbearable,” Salim Anwar told The Straits Times. “My eyes felt very painful, like they were getting pricked."
Later that afternoon, the SCDF said that its hazardous materials specialists had detected low levels of ammonia in the immediate perimeter outside the affected building.
The specialists, clad in protective suits, detected the leak within the ceiling of the chiller room and worked to gain access to the concealed ammonia piping.
The SCDF traced the source of the leak to a main distribution pipe. It deployed water curtains to suppress any residual ammonia vapours which may escape beyond the affected area.
High concentrations of ammonia in the air can cause burning sensation in the nose, throat and respiratory tract.
The Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore is also looking into the matter, even as Ben Foods’ parent company, QAF, said it was in discussion with authorities about resumption of operations.
Related stories:
Singapore employer fined $80K over workplace accident
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Some 100 workers were evacuated from the building that houses Ben Foods, even before personnel from the Singapore Civil Defence Force arrived at the scene.
Three people were decontaminated by being washed down with water before they were taken to hospital.
Another worker was brought to the hospital later in the afternoon after complaining of shortness of breath.
The Ministry of Manpower issued a stop work order under the Workplace Safety and Health Act. No work should be done until certain measures are taken.
A manager at a store in an adjacent building said he could smell ammonia when he reached his workplace at 8.30 am.
"At about 10.30 am, the smell became unbearable,” Salim Anwar told The Straits Times. “My eyes felt very painful, like they were getting pricked."
Later that afternoon, the SCDF said that its hazardous materials specialists had detected low levels of ammonia in the immediate perimeter outside the affected building.
The specialists, clad in protective suits, detected the leak within the ceiling of the chiller room and worked to gain access to the concealed ammonia piping.
The SCDF traced the source of the leak to a main distribution pipe. It deployed water curtains to suppress any residual ammonia vapours which may escape beyond the affected area.
High concentrations of ammonia in the air can cause burning sensation in the nose, throat and respiratory tract.
The Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore is also looking into the matter, even as Ben Foods’ parent company, QAF, said it was in discussion with authorities about resumption of operations.
Related stories:
Singapore employer fined $80K over workplace accident
Company fined $200k for workplace tragedy
