Tegel Foods says it is taking steps to prevent a repeat of the incident that brought emergency services to its Hornby plant yesterday.

Fire and Emergency crews from Ilam and Wigram, along with a Command Unit from Christchurch City Station, were called to the Carmen Road site after staff initially raised concerns about a suspected chlorine leak.

St John confirmed one worker was taken to hospital in a moderate condition.

Chris Lynch Media understands a worker reported stinging eyes at the start of their shift on Monday morning.

Sustainability and Communications General Manager Angela Irwin told chrislynchmedia.com there was no chlorine gas leak at the site.

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“The strong smell, described as similar to an indoor swimming pool, came from an exhaust fan installed about five weeks ago.

“This fan is designed to safely extract fumes. However, due to atmospheric conditions, some fumes were redirected into another room in the plant.

“As a precaution, some employees chose to go home, which we supported, while others continued to work using standard personal protective equipment.

“One person was taken to hospital for observation and was later released. We are pleased to confirm that no one was harmed.

“Air quality levels at the site this morning are well within acceptable ranges, and we will be taking steps to ensure this situation cannot happen again.”