One more worker sent to hospital after ammonia leak in Jurong West warehouse; SCDF operations ongoing
One more worker affected by an ammonia leak at a warehouse in Jurong West has been sent to hospital, bringing the total number of casualties to four, said the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF).
Mitigation operations over the ammonia leak were still ongoing and were expected to continue for an extended duration, added SCDF in a statement on Friday night (26 Jan).
Three people were sent to Ng Teng Fong Hospital earlier on Friday in “stable condition” following an ammonia leak at Ben Foods in a food distribution warehouse at 1 Fishery Port Road.
The fourth casualty was sent to the same hospital after she experienced breathlessness in the late afternoon and sought medical attention. SCDF said she was among the workers who had been exposed to the ammonia vapour but did not want to be sent to the hospital initially.
The source of the ammonia leak has been traced to a main distribution pipe, said SCDF.
“The pipe is not easily accessible as it is installed within a metal plate ceiling and further concealed by layers of insulation materials,” SCDF added.
Initial mitigation efforts by SCDF involved shutting off the main supply line and several control valves, which confined the area of operations to a chiller room and part of the loading bay.
The SCDF said the concentration of the ammonia vapour within the affected area had diminished considerably. However, as a precautionary measure, three water curtains were deployed within the premises to suppress any residual ammonia vapours which may escape beyond the affected area.
The SCDF was first alerted at 11.40am to the incident at Ben Foods. The leak had occurred in a chiller room on the first floor of the building. “Low levels” of ammonia were detected by the SCDF in the immediate perimeter outside the building after they arrived.
The leak was shut off by the company and 100 workers were evacuated before SCDF arrived.
Ben Foods is housed in NCS Cold Stores, a multi-temperature warehouse, according to its website. Both are subsidiaries of food company QAF.
According to its website, Ben Foods started its business in 1958 as a commodity trader in frozen meat, dairy products, and poultry farming. Over the next two decades, it operated as a food distribution company.
Yahoo News Singapore has reached out to the company for comment.
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3 sent to hospital, about 100 evacuated after ammonia leak at Jurong West factory
