The explosion, without a fire starting, occurred this Friday morning in a tank containing Epoxy resin. Eight employees of the BS Coatings company, in Val-d’Hazey, near Gaillon, between Rouen and Vernon, were on site shortly after 6:30 a.m. According to Christophe Marie, operations director of the company specializing in coating paints, “there were no injuries, but seven people were treated by the Samu because they were bothered by the vapors” .
This explosion, the causes of which have not yet been determined, started from a reaction in a hydraulic press tank which contained an epoxy resin formulation. Between the firefighters, the Samu and the police, around forty people intervened in the factory, located in the industrial zone of Val d’Hazey, between Gaillon and the Seine. “The firefighters told me that the situation had been quickly brought under control and that they remained on site to monitor the temperature of the tank in question,” explained Philippe Collas, the mayor of this town of 5,300 inhabitants, at midday.
The elected official wants to be reassuring for the surrounding residents: “Four houses are located 150 meters from the factory, the others are at least 500 meters away. The population has nothing to worry about, the situation is under control.” The company, which mainly manufactures industrial paints for equipment intended to transport drinking water, gas and oil, also insists on no pollution. “Specialized services have installed sensors to analyze the air. No pollution is to be deplored,” underlines Christophe Marie. Even if it cannot yet provide a precise assessment of the material damage in its premises, the company plans to resume work on Monday January 20.
