Workers at Tegel’s Christchurch plant are demanding urgent action after a chemical exposure on Monday left one person in hospital and many others off work sick.

Fire and Emergency crews from Ilam and Wigram, and a Command Unit from Christchurch City Station, were called to the Carmen Road site after staff reported stinging eyes and difficulty breathing on Monday afternoon.

Emergency services initially reported the incident as a possible chlorine leak, but the company later said chlorine was not involved.

One person was taken to hospital in a moderate condition. E tū delegate Simon Christians said staff had been raising concerns for months.

“From my perspective Tegel has not been paying attention to their staff, safety processes, and ensuring employees’ health and wellbeing is looked after. They’ve been slow to react to concerns.

“It’s been terrible for my health, I’ve had to see a GP because of the illness caused by these chemicals. On top of that, members and I have had to use our sick leave when it’s the workplace making us sick.

WATCH (ABOVE) Initial news report on incident 

“There needs to be an independent investigation to check all workplace practices, including PPE, to see whether the equipment being used meets safety requirements. Tegel needs to start taking the wellbeing of their staff seriously,” Christians said.

Another worker, who Chris Lynch Media has agreed not to name, said the effects were felt from the start of the shift.

“The chemical in the factory was obvious from the moment I started working on Monday morning.

“Most staff were complaining of burning eyes from the beginning of the day, including myself, and many health and safety report cards were written about this concern before 10am. There was speculation among us as to what the chemical was – sanitiser, chlorine – as no information was given to us at the time as to what was in the factory causing the eye irritation.

“We all continued working unaware what chemical had leaked into the factory and our symptoms started getting progressively worse after the hours of exposure,” the worker said.

“Coughing was the main symptom that was experienced with a burning sensation in the lungs. Staff had started to put masks on to protect the quality of the food being produced, however this was not mandatory and we were never told to wear PPE.

“The chemical was causing the coughing in individuals to get worse and worse throughout the day until asthma attacks occurred, multiple times in some workers as they continued to work. There was no communication of the choice to leave which left workers feeling like they needed to remain in the factory and push through this horrible experience, especially due to the ‘important’ audit that had begun this week.

“One worker was sent home before 2:30pm after being pulled out of the factory when intense bronchospasm – coughing fits – led to nearly vomiting and progressed into the inability to inhale air due to the chemicals.

“The following day many workers were off sick due to burning sensation when inhaling, severe headaches, sore chest, body aches and burning eyes and blurry vision due to the exposure.

“Until the Chris Lynch Media article was published, no production staff were notified of the chemical that we were exposed to, so I went to the doctors without knowing the chemical, which was a big concern for the doctor.

“In my opinion the factory should have been evacuated as soon as any symptoms were expressed, not after a worker had to be hospitalised. At the very least after the first person had a severe reaction to the chemical – genuinely not being able to breathe air, leading to near passing out and hyperventilation once leaving the factory and getting fresh air – then the workers should have been told to leave the building due to health and safety concerns.”

E tū organiser Sara Currey said the incident was part of a wider pattern.

“This is not an isolated event. Our members have been raising concerns about chemical exposure and other health and safety risks for months, but Tegel has failed to act. The latest incident shows just how dangerous that inaction has been.

“We are also concerned that the company has not been upfront with either workers or the union about what happened. They haven’t answered key questions, and it looks like they’re more focused on protecting their reputation than on open communication with workers and unions. That is completely unacceptable – transparency is essential for good health and safety.

“Tegel has a legal responsibility to keep workers safe. We are in contact with WorkSafe, and we expect the company to finally take this matter seriously and work with us to resolve the ongoing problems,” Currey said.

In a statement provided to chrislynchmedia.com on Thursday afternoon, the company said:

“Tegel is New Zealand’s largest poultry producer, employing over 2,500 people nationwide.

“The health, safety, and wellbeing of our people is our top priority, and we have a wide range of systems and processes in place to protect our teams. Like any large organisation, these are constantly evolving as we look to improve and strengthen them.

“The incident at our Christchurch plant earlier this week, which resulted in some team members experiencing stinging eyes and coughing due to elevated levels of chloramine in the air, was taken extremely seriously. As soon as the cause was identified, immediate corrective actions were implemented to resolve the issue and prevent a reoccurrence,” the company said.

“All health and safety concerns raised at Tegel are addressed by our on-site EHS representatives and management teams, with corrective actions taken as required. Previous issues raised at Christchurch were investigated, corrective measures put in place, and these have been reviewed by WorkSafe.

“We respect and understand the union’s concern for its members; this is a concern we share for all our staff. Tegel is a large and complex business, and we remain committed to an ongoing programme of initiatives that continue to strengthen health, safety and wellbeing for everyone across our sites.”