Two women die at Ashdod refinery, likely due to lack of oxygen
Police, firefighters rule out toxic substance leak after factory employees found unconscious; suspect they suffocated in their hazmat suits
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Two factory workers died Wednesday during their work at an oil refinery in Ashdod, following a suspected mishap with their hazmat suits.
The pair, both women in their 50s, were found unconscious after having collapsed on the clock. Paramedics attempted to resuscitate them, but were forced to pronounce them dead.
Authorities initially suspected the pair had been exposed to a toxic substance that permeated their hazmat suits, but a Fire and Rescue official later clarified that no hazardous materials were found in their vicinity.
Police additionally stressed that there was no concern that hazardous material had leaked outside the factory.
Ariel Even-Danan, commander of the Ashdod region fire station, initially told the Kan public broadcaster that teams were “checking whether this is a hazardous materials incident or a mishap in the oxygen system [of their protective suits].”
However, after scanning the area, “firefighting squads did not find levels of hazardous materials,” said a spokesman for the Fire and Rescue Service, while adding that the agency had not yet finished investigating the incident.
The Ashdod Refinery, which spans about 1,000 dunams (100 hectares), employs 400 workers and is responsible for around 40 percent of Israel’s fuel and cooking gas.
On Tuesday, the Environmental Protection Ministry announced it would fine the factory NIS 32 million ($10.4 million) for air pollution. The refinery said it would appeal the decision.
In January 2013, the refinery was the site of a tragic incident in which two men were killed after being exposed to hydrogen sulfide. The two, Michael Bliakhov and Moshe Tal, were exposed to the gas while fixing a pipe leak without their hazmat suits.
The Times of Israel Community.