Here is the Monday morning update from FMC regarding what happened last week and the status of operations...
At approximately 10:00 a.m. Friday, November 14, 2014 the FMC Middleport, NY agricultural products formulation facility identified smoke coming from a vent associated with its Building 70 process, where blending and packaging of products occur. Operators immediately shut down the process and followed safety procedures by calling for outside emergency response. Facility suppression systems activated and the incident was under control in just a few minutes.
Through the weekend the facility temporarily ceased operations as we investigated the incident. The root-cause investigation continues to understand the cause of the incident. We are uncertain how much time the investigation will take. We are committed to being thorough. It is important to FMC to learn what happened, its cause and to use this knowledge for prevention.
As of this morning, the facility has resumed normal operations, except for the building that experienced smoke, as those were not affected by the incident. Building 70 equipment is being inspected and assessed.
On Friday, we notified the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation of the incident in an abundance of caution while we investigate. Also, FMC immediately notified the Royalton Hartland School nearby of the situation as a precautionary measure.
There were no injuries as a result of Friday’s incident.
FMC is grateful for all departments that responded and to our team of employees.
We remain committed to safe operations and regret any concern this incident may have caused to our neighbors and employees and their families
At approximately 10:00 a.m. Friday, November 14, 2014 the FMC Middleport, NY agricultural products formulation facility identified smoke coming from a vent associated with its Building 70 process, where blending and packaging of products occur. Operators immediately shut down the process and followed safety procedures by calling for outside emergency response. Facility suppression systems activated and the incident was under control in just a few minutes.
Through the weekend the facility temporarily ceased operations as we investigated the incident. The root-cause investigation continues to understand the cause of the incident. We are uncertain how much time the investigation will take. We are committed to being thorough. It is important to FMC to learn what happened, its cause and to use this knowledge for prevention.
As of this morning, the facility has resumed normal operations, except for the building that experienced smoke, as those were not affected by the incident. Building 70 equipment is being inspected and assessed.
On Friday, we notified the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation of the incident in an abundance of caution while we investigate. Also, FMC immediately notified the Royalton Hartland School nearby of the situation as a precautionary measure.
There were no injuries as a result of Friday’s incident.
FMC is grateful for all departments that responded and to our team of employees.
We remain committed to safe operations and regret any concern this incident may have caused to our neighbors and employees and their families
