Fujairah: A gas leak at an ice processing factory in Fujairah saw the area evacuated on Saturday, Gulf News has learnt.
Panic spread among workers at nearby factories in the Industrial Area at Fujairah, where the ammonia leak took place.
The swift evacuation of workers saw there were no casualties reported due to the leak, which occurred at around 7pm.
A probe is now underway to determine the extent of any environmental damage caused.
Colonel Ali Al Tenaiji, Director-General of Fujairah Civil Defence, told Gulf News that the civil defence team moved immediately after receiving a call reporting an awful odour spreading throughout the industrial area, where the ice factory is located.
“When we arrived, the premises were filled with ammonia gas, but we managed to contain the situation quickly,
“Ammonia gas is considered to be a gas that causes suffocation, it is not a flammable gas.
“It spread quickly in the atmosphere and affected people in that area, but thankfully it was the end of the working day, workers who were still at the factory managed to leave in time.”
Fujairah Police and Fujairah Municipality Department were also involved in the operation.
Col. Al Tenaiji added: “Initial investigations found the leak was due to a build up of dirt inside the pipes.”
He also urged owners of factories to follow safety procedures relating to hazardous gases.
This includes ensuring periodical maintenance of pipes is carried out and to maintain detailed logs of gases used in their industry and keep logs displayed prominently.
In this way, Col. Al Tenaiji said in an emergency, the name and details of the gas can be easily reached.
The Municipality and Ministry of Environment will now start an investigation to determine the environmental damages caused due to the ammonia leakage.
Ammonia is a colourless but strong smelling gas used in many commercial cleaning products.
Although widely used, ammonia is classified as hazardous.
Its vapour is an irritant with an odour that acts as a warning of potentially dangerous exposure through toxic inhalation.
Exposure to very high concentrations of gaseous ammonia can result in lung damage and in some cases, death in humans.
The gas is also harmful to animals.
