Cleanzine: your weekly cleaning and hygiene industry newsletter 18th April 2024 Issue no. 1110
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Cleaners gassed - but it could have been so much worse...
Chemicals and a gas-operated pressure washer that created dangerous levels of carbon monoxide led to the hospitalisation of five men who were cleaning a restaurant in Florida, USA, on Monday.
Emergency crews who attended Bartow's Catfish Country Restaurant found what was described as 'a dangerous situation' and Polk County Fire Rescue Spokesperson Kevin Watler told WFLA News Channel 8: "Chemicals and a gas-operated pressure washer were used inside the structure to clean. We noticed a strong odour of exhaust at the doorway. Crews found levels to be more than 500 parts per million. Anything over 50 parts per million is considered to be hazardous. This could have been much worse."
Three of the men, restaurant employees William Houvardas, Georgios Markopoulos and Eusebio Bardales-Hernandez, were taken to Lakeland Regional Health Medical Center, while Margarito Espinosa and Lee Burney, who had been hired to help clean the restaurant, drove themselves to Lake Wales Medical Center.
The building was cleared by the PCFR Special Operations Unit and ventilated for about an hour. It reopened for business the following day.
On Tuesday, News Channel 8 spoke with the owner of the restaurant, who told reporters: "We just got released. They were monitoring us. We are all ok, I just feel tired."
2nd June 2016