The smoke coming from Sims Metal in Onekawa, Napier which staff of a nearby business were concerned was toxic. Photo / Supplied
The smoke coming from Sims Metal in Onekawa, Napier which staff of a nearby business were concerned was toxic. Photo / Supplied
Hawke's Bay Regional Council may amend its burning rules following a Napier company's claims that industrial smoke made six of its employees sick.
Yellow smoke could be seen coming from Napier's Sims Metal at times in the two weeks prior to July 30 which, a spokesman from a nearby businessbelieved, had caused burning sensations in his staff's skin and eyes, respiratory problems and difficulty sleeping.
Yet Sims Metal global head of corporate communications Réal Hamilton-Romeo said a review later confirmed the company was "operating within the legal allowable parameters as detailed in the Hawke's Bay Regional Resource Management Plan."
The company recovers and recycles material.
"We will continue working with all of our community stakeholders, including our neighbours and the Hawke's Bay Regional Council, to ensure that we are adhering to all relevant laws, maintaining safety standards and mitigating any harm to our local community," Hamilton-Romeo said.
The spokesman for the affected business, who asked that his company not to be named, said employees had been off sick for two weeks since the smoke incidents.
"It only took maybe a day or two for this stuff to start affecting them. They all started having the same symptoms at the same time."
"It's got everything that backs it up to be toxic gas. You look at the colour of it, you don't see that every day ... it was actually making the whole sky go orange."
The businesses are a few hundred metres apart, but the smoke had been blowing on to their property where staff had been working outside, he said.
He called the company but said he was told it was non-toxic.
Hawke's Bay Regional Council said it was an "unusual situation" that didn't fall under its burning rules. Photo / Supplied
He said the regional council also claimed there was nothing it could do about it.
WorkSafe and the Hawke's Bay District Health Board were all contacted, he said.
"We've rung everyone we can, but no one's shutting it down. That's not clean green New Zealand. It's affected the health of our workers which therefore affects their families."
Regional council general manager policy & regulation Katrina Brunton said the council's pollution hotline team received 10 calls about the "distinctive yellow smoke".
The council also received reports of people being off work sick from a nearby site but there have been no reports of anyone on the site of burning becoming unwell.
She said it involves an industrial oxy-acetylene gas cutting tool which is used in many standard industries.
"This is an unusual situation and doesn't fall under our burning rules. Council will be looking at its regional rules and implications in the next couple of years, and this type of activity falls under this scope."
The smoke was yellow in colour and at times turned the sky orange, a local business spokesman said. Photo / Supplied
"We understand the smoke appears worrying. We're pleased that so many people have phoned our pollution hotline and we are always happy to investigate any reports of this nature.
"This particular activity has now finished but the Pollution Response Team is still carrying out its investigation and getting further information from the company involved and other regional councils where this activity is undertaken."
A WorkSafe spokesperson said they had been made aware of concerns at the site, completed an assessment on July 30 and were continuing to make inquiries.
Hawke's Bay DHB medical officer of health Dr Nick Jones said the Health Protection Team was also investigating.
"The DHB is also liaising with Hawke's Bay Regional Council, which is are responsible for the enforcement of air pollution rules."
