Plains Midstream Canada says one employee was exposed to a release of propane vapour at its Sarnia facility on Plank Road on Friday.
The company issued a statement to Sarnia News Today just before 3 p.m.
"At approximately 12 p.m. EST on November 3, 2023, Plains Midstream Canada experienced a release of propane vapour from a rail car at our Sarnia, ON facility," a company representative said.
"We have initiated our emergency response plan, notified the appropriate regulators and agencies and are working with first responders."
Plains Midstream said its "current priorities are to protect the safety of people in the area and minimize any impacts to the environment."
"One employee was exposed to the vapour at the time of the release and has been assessed and cleared by the hospital. The area is secured and we anticipate any residual propane to be cleaned up later today," the statement said.
The vapour release was first reported publicly by the Aamjiwnaang Notification System when a Code 8 was issued just after 12:30 p.m., which indicated an internal emergency response event.
The company said there was a "vapour release and personnel exposure" at the rail loading facility.
Residents reported sirens sounding in Sarnia's south end.
No formal notification was sent through BASES (Bluewater Association for Safety, Environment, and Sustainability).
When contacted, BASES Communications and Engagement Coordinator Tracy Krull directed Sarnia News Today to Plains Midstream's media line for further questions.
"Unfortunately, I am unable to comment on the operations of our members," Krull said. "Please direct any further inquiries to Plains Midstream for comment. Sorry I couldn't be of any further assistance."
A launch event was held for BASES last week.
As of January 1, 2024, BASES will dissolve Sarnia-Lambton Environmental Association (SLEA), Community Awareness Emergency Response (CAER), and Industrial Education Co-operative (IEC).
The first community notification through Sarnia-Lambton Alerts was sent at 3:59 p.m.
It said the incident was stabilized at 1:40 p.m.
"We immediately sounded the plant siren and activated our emergency response plan," the statement read. "All personnel [were] accounted for and all clear was sounded at 1400 hrs, BASES Code 8 cleared at that time. There were no environmental impacts; injured worker cleared to return to regular duties."