All Clear After Hazmat Lockdown At Harrington Hospital In Southbridge
Southbridge Fire Department
Just after 2PM on Wednesday, Southbridge Fire Department and the Massachusetts Hazardous Materials Response Team were called to the Emergency Room at Harrington Hospital in Southbridge.
According to Southbridge Fire Department, hospital staff described a package having a foul odor, and requested that it be checked out. As a result, the emergency room was put on lockdown, and a tier 1 response was activated.
A post on the Harrington Facebook Page stated, ” three Harrington Hospital employees began experiencing sudden respiratory issues. They presented to the Southbridge Emergency Department, where out of an abundance of precaution, the Hospital called a Code Black.”
All patients were said to be safe and no further exposures to the odor occurred. Authorities say the office the package came from and the package itself were scanned and tested for any hazardous substances, which came up negative. The emergency room was reopened and the code black was cleared around 5:30PM.
The contents of the package or where it came from was not made public, and there were no serious injuries reported. The 3 employees are being treated for non-life-threatening conditions.