People in environmental health jobs were called to an industrial estate in Flintshire today (June 23rd 2010) after an accident involving hazardous chemicals.
A factory on Deeside Industrial Estate was involved in an incident which saw an "uncontrolled mix of chemicals" released into the air, including dangerous chlorine gas.
The fire brigade was called at 05:00 BST and a team of people in environmental health jobs from Wrexham Council arrived shortly afterwards to ensure that the chemicals were properly contained.
Some 14 people required medical treatment and businesses were told to take precautions to avoid exposure.
"We advised businesses to shut doors and windows," a spokesperson on the scene said.
No residential properties are thought to be affected by the accident.
According to the Health and Safety Executive, the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health regulations require all employers to plan for foreseeable accidents or emergencies including chemicals.
They must know the right procedures to follow and also which organisations to contact, which usually includes environmental health officers and the fire brigade.
Posted by Lucy Hallows
