Chemical Leak Evacuates DENSO in Battle Creek
BREAKING NEWS: DENSO Manufacturing in Battle Creek, Michigan has been evacuated.
At 5:34 A.M. we received a tip from an employee at DENSO Manufacturing that claimed a 1,000 gallon acid spill took place possibly around 4 A.M. this morning (Tuesday, June 16th.) The employee went on to say that the whole building has been evacuated and all employees are waiting in their vehicles while the tank is drained and repaired. He said that one employee was hospitalized. We later found out later that 100 gallons were released, not 1,000.
Another employee, who hauls out of Denso daily at 4 A.M. reported that the spill happened around 3:45 A.M.. They go on to say the building was already evacuated by 4 this morning. Employees were let back into the building just after 8 A.M.
Here is a statement provided to us by Andrew Rickerman, Senior Regional Public Relations Specialist of DENSO International America, Inc.,
On June 16, at approximately 3:55 a.m., DENSO evacuated the main building at its thermal manufacturing facility in Battle Creek, Michigan, after a chemical supply tank breached and partially spilled. DENSO closed the area where the breach occurred, and is following safety and health protocols to contain and clean the area.
In the 300 gallon tank were pretreatment chemicals containing diluted sulfuric acid and hydrofluoric acid. Approximately 100 gallons were released.
With safety being our top priority, DENSO evacuated all employees when the spill happened and notified the appropriate authorities to help assess the situation and determine next steps. One employee was treated at the hospital for fume inhalation and returned to work.Since the breach, DENSO’s Safety, Health and Environment team prevented spilled material from entering the ground or exiting the facility, and tested air quality to confirm it was safe for employees to return to work. At approximately 7:50 a.m., DENSO permitted employees to reenter the building and resume operations in areas unaffected by the breach.DENSO will follow all safety protocols to remove the materials and investigate how this incident occurred to help prevent other breaches in the future.
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