6 AVI Foodsystems employees treated at hospitals after spill

STAFF REPORT

HOWLAND — Six employees were released from area hospitals after a hazardous-material spill at the AVI Foodsystems plant.

At 8:25 a.m. Thursday, emergency services responded to a call from the vending company at 2588 Elm Road that two cleaning solutions were accidentally mixed, causing a chemical irritant.

Upon arrival, the Howland Fire Department found management at the facility had evacuated its 76 employees.

The department provided the employees with health checks on the scene and ventilated the building. Of the 76 employees, five were treated on site and six were sent to Forum Health Trumbull Memorial Hospital or St. Joseph Health Center as a precautionary measure. After treatment, AVI reported that the six employees either returned to their homes or to work later Thursday.

The fire department approved AVI to resume business at 9:08 a.m.

Fire Chief George Brown said in a prepared statement, “The company management did an excellent job of following all safety procedures and prevented the incident from becoming more damaging.”

Brown said an employee accidentally mixed a sanitizer containing phosphorus and sulfuric acids and a cleaning agent containing potassium hydroxide.

Along with the 23 fire officials provided by Howland, the Youngstown Air Reserve Station Fire Department Haz-Mat Team responded as mutual aid.