MANSFIELD — A quick-thinking truck driver was credited with limiting a hazardous chemical leak as well as injuries at a foam manufacturer on Maple Street Tuesday morning.
The leak was reported about 8:20 a.m. at the rear loading dock of the Future Foam Co. at 47 Maple St., where about 30 gallons of isocyanate fluid had leaked from a broken valve on a tanker truck carrying 6,500 gallons of the solution, Fire Chief Justin Desrosiers said.
The liquid is used in the production of foam products at the plant and can irritate a person’s skin and respiratory system, the chief said.
The truck driver’s quick action in activating the emergency shutdown system limited the spill to only 30 gallons of the truck’s load, Desrosiers said.
He and a loading dock worker suffered minor injuries and were taken to a hospital for treatment.
No danger to public
After arriving at the company, firefighters declared a Tier 1 hazmat emergency and called in the state Hazardous Materials Response team. A Tier 1 is a low-level hazmat emergency.
A hazardous materials cleanup company arrived at 11 a.m.
“At no time was there any danger to the public, as the spill was fully contained within the loading dock area,” Desrosiers said in a statement.
At the same time firefighters were at the hazmat emergency, firefighters responded to a dryer fire nearby at the Station Pointe apartment complex on Francis Avenue as well as six other medical emergencies, Desrosiers said.
Multiple mutual aid fire departments assisted in the responses including local police and firefighters from Norton, Foxboro and Easton. The Mansfield Emergency Management Agency also responded to the hazmat emergency.
