Report Detail:
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FALL RIVER
A police officer responding to a terrorist call at EC Pigments on Quequechan
Street was burned Thursday morning when a tanker carrying sodium hydroxide
began spewing the liquid into the air. Between 50 and 100 gallons of the
toxic substance escaped, forcing police to close streets surrounding the
spill for much of the day. According to police spokeswoman, the police
officer, whose name wasn't released, was treated for minor burns to the
head and neck at St. Anne's Hospital before being discharged. The call
turned out to be a false alarm; the alleged terrorists were members of
the Teamsters Local 251 union protesting Univar USA's use of non-union
workers to drive the tankers.
Local 251 members, who would
normally be driving the rigs, are embroiled in a labor dispute with
Univar. They have been on strike since July to combat "unfair labor
practices." Univar, which has a facility in Providence, is one
of the major chemical distributors in the United States. The spill occurred
while three police officers were talking to the protesters and a fourth
officer was in the midst of interviewing the tanker driver. "When
three police officers were talking to us, we heard splashing and we
turned to look and it was splashing at least 3 to 4 feet in the air,
easily," said a Teamster.
According to District Fire
Chief, the truck driver tried to get a sample of the product before
unloading it and didn't put the cover back on the tanker correctly."When
he pressurized the tank" to begin the unloading process, "it
shot out all over the police officer who was standing by, the
Fire Chief said. Three fire engines, a ladder truck and fire rescue
responded to the scenearound 9 a.m. Firefighters were able to isolate
and dike the spill so itdidn't get into the snow drains, the Fire Chief
said.
On-site plant personnel neutralized
the sodium hydroxide and a private cleaning crew was called in to decontaminate
the area, the District Fire Chief said. The clean-up lasted until about
3 p.m., the police spokeswoman said. Although the spill resulted from
the tanker driver's error, the police spokeswoman said it was accidental
and he won't face any charges. "We've been warning everyone that
these incidents happen daily," a teamster said. "You can't
just hire anyone to do the job." The Teamster said he and his fellow
Teamsters had no contact with the driver. "We never harass the
driver because we know better," he said. "We come here to
let people know that these (drivers) are inexperienced."
The police spokeswoman said police initially responded to a call from the Univar truck driver,
who said he was being followed "by some males in a motor vehicle
from Rhode Island" while en route to EC Pigments. According to
the police spokeswoman, the driver said "he was in fear and that
perhaps he might have been followed by terrorists." Members of
the Teamsters Local 251 have been protesting on a daily basis since
July. The Teamster said they have "at least 20 documented incidents"
of non-union drivers making similar errors. "These people are not
trained," said the business manager for the Teamsters.
Univar USA did not return multiple phone calls seeking comment. Ahaesy
said the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection is investigating the incident.
Reported in the Pawtucket Times: 19/03/2004 |
