Employees return to Fridley plant after evacuation

Published 6:21 pm Tuesday, May 10, 2011

FRIDLEY, Minn. (AP) — Employees have been allowed back at a Fridley metal plating plant after two acids apparently reacted and splashed some workers.

Rob Clark, director of operations for Incertec Plating, says the evacuation of all 70 or so employees was ordered around 11 a.m. Tuesday, mostly a precaution. He says an undisclosed material under pressure blew at Incertec’s Fridley facility, but that it was not an explosion.

Clark, who is based out of Incertec’s Kansas facility, says no one was injured, but that three people who were nearest the incident were taken for evaluations.

Fridley Fire Chief John Berg says some employees were working with nitric acid and phosphoric acid when the acids apparently reacted, blew the lid off the container and splashed three employees.

Workers were allowed back about 12:30 p.m.