The fire chief of St. Catharines, Dave Upper said emergency crews responded to THK Rhythm Automotive Canada Ltd. in Louth Street at about 9am, where five liters of acid were spilled and quickly evaporated. Upper said the incident occurred when a contractor working at the plant “accidentally hit a release valve,” spilling hydrochloric acid from a tank of the chemical inside the plant that makes steering and suspension components for automakers such as Ford, GM and the BMW. “They shut it down immediately, but there was a five-liter leak of hydrochloric acid,” Upper said. “Out of an abundance of caution, there were about 20 staff that we decided needed to be decontaminated.” Aper said emergency crews used a decontamination facility at THK and then transported the workers to St. Catharines to be evaluated. Niagara Emergency Medical Services spokesman Bryce Brunarski said three people were “directly exposed” to the acid. “They were decontaminated by facility staff with the support of our CBRNE (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and Explosives) paramedics and St. Catharines,” he said, adding that they were taken to the hospital as Canadian Triage Acuity Scale (CTAS) 2 patients, which requires rapid medical intervention. Those three workers were in direct contact with the acid in both liquid and vapor form, Upper said. Brunarksi said nine other patients were taken to hospital by paramedics after “minor exposure” to the acid. Ten others were taken to the hospital by city bus as a precaution. He said these patients were “asymptomatic, low-acid and stable people, with limited exposure” to the spill. In addition, one independent worker was reported to the hospital, for a total of 23 affected by the spill. Aper said a city bus was used rather than an ambulance due to the number of workers involved and their non-emergency status. “With the number of people involved, we thought it was easier than committing their resources to a transport capacity,” he said. Aper said the acid was fully contained within the building. “There was no vapor cloud making it out into the community,” he said. “There is no harm or danger to the community.” Thompson Products union president Frank Viscek, who represents 275 workers at the plant, said he and vice president Henry Clarkson were relieved no one was seriously injured. “Whenever there’s a spill of any kind or chemical, I mean, this is hydrochloric acid we’re talking about and that’s very heavy stuff. We were initially concerned with everyone’s well-being,” Viscek said. He said union representatives spent the morning and early afternoon making sure to account for everyone while trying to gather more information about how the incident happened. He said he was working in his office at Plant 1 when the alarms started going off – across Louth Street from the facility where the leak occurred. “As soon as the problem was identified, both factories were evacuated. We are nowhere near this spill, but both plants are immediately evacuated and fire trucks and ambulances were on the scene within minutes,” Vissek said. Clarkson said the company’s internal emergency response team was immediately involved to ensure everyone was taken care of. Said Vissek, “He was handled well.” Union representatives said they did not know the strength of the acid used as part of an electro-plating process. As of Tuesday afternoon, Viscek said the area where the spill occurred remained closed to all but emergency workers and investigators. “Right now it’s caution, caution, caution,” he said. “These events are amazing, especially when we work so closely together. We are not a big plant, so we know each other quite well. But we’re just happy that it looks like everyone’s going to come out of this unscathed.” Calls made to the company’s management were not immediately returned. The incident prompted an emergency response from Niagara Health, where a Code Orange was called that put emergency department staff on alert to prepare for multiple incoming patients. The hospital system issued a public service announcement, saying it is working with emergency responders “to ensure the best possible care for anyone affected.” “We are asking the community to avoid the emergency department at the St. , or urgent care centers in Fort Erie and Port Colborne. The hospital resumed normal operations at approximately 1:30 p.m. after responding to the hazardous materials incident. Viscek said all patients were discharged Tuesday afternoon. Niagara Health President and CEO Lynn Guerriero said in a press release, “This was an excellent example of the health care team coming together to handle a serious situation in a calm, efficient and professional manner. Our healthcare teams are under more pressure than ever, but this response shows why we say our people are our greatest asset. I’m proud of our frontline staff and everyone who played a part in today’s response.” Department of Labor spokesman Calem McSween said two department inspectors had been assigned to investigate the incident and were at the scene on Tuesday afternoon. He said the investigation is ongoing. The Ministry of Environment was also contacted. Vissek said the union would await the results of the Labor Department’s investigation before making any recommendations to the company. Upper said the incident drew a lot of resources from emergency responders, making it look “like a really big deal.” He said the emergency call initially came in as a structure fire, prompting a “full response” from St. John’s Fire and Emergency Services. Catharines, including 19 firefighters in five vehicles. Several ambulances and other Niagara EMS vehicles were also dispatched, and Niagara Regional Police were called to the scene to assist at approximately 10:30 a.m. SHARE: