Hollister lab closed after chemical spill

By Bob Stuart

Published: August 28, 2008

A chemical spill inside a Stuarts Draft plant Thursday forced the evacuation of the facility and led to several workers being transported to a hospital.
A glass container fell and shattered, dumping tetrahydrofuran inside a lab at the Hollister Inc. plant off Draft Avenue, officials said. The container measured 1 to 1.5 gallons, officials said.
Tetrahydrofuran is a highly flammable industrial solvent used to prepare polyvinyl chloride film.
“The biggest hazard was a fire hazard,’’ said Deputy Augusta County Fire Chief Carson Holloway. There was no ignition source nearby, the chief said.
Tetrahydrofuran may cause upper respiratory irritation and can be absorbed through the skin. Workers who were near the material were transported to the hospital as a precaution, officials said.
Neither their names nor their conditions were released.
The plant was evacuated shortly after the spill, but firefighters found safe havens inside the facility after they arrived, Holloway said. Firefighters received the call at 12:18 p.m., and stayed on the scene until 2:30 p.m.
Crews from a hazardous materials contractor employed by Hollister began cleanup at the lab Thursday, Holloway said. The lab remained closed, he said.
Hollister officials declined to comment.
Hollister is Augusta County’s sixth largest employer, with 250 to 499 employees, according to fourth-quarter 2007 data Virginia Employment Commission.
Based in Libertyville, Ill., Hollister’s North American operations manufacture medical products such as tube fasteners and bladder control systems in addition to providing medical services.
The company’s Stuarts Draft plant is one of four Hollister manufacturing facilities worldwide. The other U.S. plant is in Kirksville, Mo.
The state Department of Environmental Quality was alerted to the incident, an official with the agency said.
Officials with the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration could not be reached for comment. No OSHA records of previous incidents at the facility could be found.
In addition to Augusta County, other emergency units responding included the Wilson Volunteer Fire Company, Preston L. Yancey Fire Company, Stuarts Draft Fire and Rescue and a hazardous materials team from Augusta County.