NORWOOD, Mass. — One worker died and another was hospitalized after an ammonia leak in Norwood on Monday.
According to the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office, authorities received a call shortly after 11:00 a.m. for the ammonia leak at a food processing facility on Morgan Drive.
A preliminary investigation revealed that two men were working for an outside contractor when the ammonia leak began.
One of the men, 68-year-old Richard Arguin, was pronounced dead at the scene. The other man was rushed to Good Samaritan Medical Center for specialized treatment.
Representatives from the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office, Norwood Police and Fire personnel, OSHA, and the State Fire Marshal’s Office are investigating the deadly leak.
The building is still subject to dangerously high concentrations of the noxious substances, according to the DA’s office. Fire officials told Boston 25 News that the ammonia levels inside the building were 20 times higher than what is considered deadly.
“The information that we have is that this is an incredibly dangerous situation for the fire, Haz-Mat and police personnel responding,” Norfolk District Attorney Michael W. Morrissey said. “We will be proceeding with this investigation as quickly as safety allows.”
Norwood Firefighters are currently on scene at 140 Morgan Drive for an ammonia leak in a commercial building. The leak...
Posted by Norwood Fire Department on Monday, December 19, 2022
Police are still on scene to make sure that no one enters the building overnight.
Late Monday night, a spokesperson for Home Market Foods sent over the following statement regarding today’s incident:
“There was an accident at our Norwood plant today involving two HVAC contractors. As they were working, it appears an ammonia pipe was severed. One of the contractors was able to escape with injuries. Tragically the second contractor did not make it out and he died. Our hearts go out to his family. It is just so sad and horrific.
The Norwood Fire Department, emergency services and police quickly responded, and evacuated the site. We are thankful to them and are doing all we can to support them. A determination about when we can return will be made in conjunction with the fire department after comprehensive testing, as our utmost priority is to ensure the health and safety of our employees.”
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