Tower collapses at Imperial Oil’s Sarnia, Ont. facility, all workers ‘accounted for’
By The Canadian Press
Health & SafetySARNIA, Ont.—Imperial Oil says “all workers have been accounted for” after a tower collapsed at its facility in Sarnia, Ont. on the evening of April 2.
In a post on its Facebook page, the company says the tower was out of service at the time of the incident, as it was being prepared for maintenance. Sirens were sounded after the structure fell inside of the plant.
The post says people in the community may notice increased “flaring” as part of the emergency response process. According to the company, air monitoring was initiated “as a precaution.”
“We have activated our incident command centre and are working with local authorities,” the post reads. “As a precaution, our emergency responders are spraying water on the structure.”
Sarnia police say they’re monitoring the situation along with officials from the Aamjiwnaang First Nation.
“There is still no offsite emergency impact and Imperial Oil continues to monitor the situation and assess the damage on site,” the police stated in a release.
They say a section of Vidal Street South, a main artery in the city’s Chemical Valley area, will remain closed until engineers can determine it’s safe to reopen.
Imperial Oil says its Sarnia operation employs approximately 800 people between its oil refinery, chemical plant and research centre.
With files from On-Site staff
