A machine becoming over-pressurized at the PPG coatings facility in Springdale was the cause of an incident that injured two employees Thursday, causing the facility to evacuate and sending a boom throughout the neighborhood.
PPG spokesman Mark Silvey said the piece of equipment malfunctioned around 12:35 p.m. Thursday at the research and development center at the PPG manufacturing site along Standard Avenue.
“The cause of the incident was an over-pressurization within the equipment that malfunctioned,” Silvey said Friday.
Two employees, both men, were near the piece of equipment when it malfunctioned and were taken to a hospital.
“Both employees received a medical evaluation for minor injuries yesterday and were released by mid-afternoon,” Silvey said.
There was no fire and minimal site damage, PPG officials said. No chemicals were released.
The site was evacuated as a precaution, Silvey said.
Local authorities spent Thursday afternoon reviewing the equipment as a precaution.
“We stood by to make sure it kept cooling down, and it cooled down real quick,” said Bruno Moretti, Allegheny Valley Regional Emergency Management coordinator.
Silvey said PPG “does not expect any significant production disruption” from the incident.
“Following safety protocols, the facility primarily returned to normal operations,” Silvey said.
