A Perthshire food plant was at the centre of a chemical scare after workers were exposed to a dangerous gas.
Two employees at the Coupar Angus factory were rushed to Ninewells Hospital in Dundee after coming into contact with sodium hydroxide, which can cause severe chemical burns.
Police and ambulance crews rushed to the scene alongside fire crews as part of a major hazard response shortly after 5am. The Health and Safety Executive has been notified and the 2 Sisters Food Group has launched an immediate investigation.
It is understood the two employees were investigating a problem in the plant’s boiler room. One of the men is said to have leant against a piece of apparatus, resulting in the emission of a gas.
Although the workers did not know what it was, they immediately began to feel unwell and colleagues swiftly called for an ambulance, together with an emergency response.
That brought five fire crews to Coupar Angus, including a heavy rescue unit from Dundee, but their services were not required, following an initial assessment.
One of the casualties was released from hospital fairly swiftly but it is understood the second, a 23-year-old man, remained in hospital for assessment and treatment.
A spokesman for the 2 Sisters Food Group said that efforts were being made to identify exactly what had happened and the nature of the gas released.
“We were extremely concerned to hear about the incident and our thoughts are with the two members of staff involved,” he said.
“We are glad that the injuries they sustained are not too serious.
“The group will be launching an immediate investigation in order to find out exactly what happened and will then take steps to ensure that it does not happen again.”
A police spokesman said the incident had initially been reported as exposure to the chemical sodium hydroxide as a result of a chemical spillage.
Also known as lye or caustic soda, the substance can cause severe chemical burns and is potentially hazardous in many of its forms. The Health and Safety Executive said it was aware of the incident and would be making initial inquiries.
The 2 Sisters Food Group acquired the Vion poultry-processing factory in Coupar Angus earlier this year, along with various other sites across the UK.
The takeover lifted the dark clouds that had been hanging over the plant, whose 1,000-strong workforce had feared closure.
Concerns had first been expressed in November last year when Dutch company Vion stated it would be selling off its entire UK food operation.
Vion had bought the Coupar Angus site in 2008 from the Grampian Country Food Group as part of a UK-wide deal said to be worth around £400 million.
For many years the plant has been the struggling town’s only major employer and it has a vital place within the economy.