Ammonia Leak at Turkish Poultry Plant Hospitalises 15 Workers
Published on 08/28/2026 at 08:27 | Editorial boerse-global.de
Fifteen workers were taken to hospital after an ammonia gas leak at a poultry slaughtering facility in Sakarya, north-west Turkey, on 28 August 2026. The release happened during routine maintenance on the plant's cooling system, and the incident serves as a reminder for UK employers of the dangers posed by ammonia in industrial refrigeration.
Maintenance Work Triggers Chemical Release
The leak originated from a reservoir in the facility's cooling infrastructure. The 15 affected employees sought emergency treatment at Kaynarca State Hospital and are reported to be in a stable condition, responding well to care.
Local gendarmerie and technical teams from the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) have launched a joint investigation. They are inspecting the site to establish the precise cause of the leak and to confirm the facility is safe to resume operations.
Ammonia is widely used as a refrigerant in food processing, and leaks can occur when systems are opened for maintenance. Under UK rules, employers must ensure such work is properly risk-assessed and that staff are trained to handle refrigerants safely.
Regional Focus on Gas Safety
The Sakarya incident follows a series of gas-related emergencies across the region. On 27 August 2026, emergency crews were deployed to the Kartepe district of Kocaeli after an explosion on a natural gas main line. That blast forced the closure of Altunhisar Avenue and a temporary halt to gas flow, though no injuries were reported.
A separate natural gas explosion was recorded in Ni?de's Kemerhisar district on the same day, during testing of a newly installed line. The blast caused vehicle damage but no casualties.
These events coincide with a regulatory push by Turkey's Energy Market Regulatory Authority (EPDK). On 27 August, the body released draft proposals to modernise technical standards for natural gas distribution. The plans would standardise emergency response vehicles, mandate more frequent leak detection scans, and increase the concentration of odorising agents across the national network, which spans roughly 230,000 kilometres of pipeline.
Global Industrial Safety Picture
The Sakarya leak comes amid a period of significant industrial casualties worldwide. On 27 August 2026, officials confirmed the death toll from a fire at the Amur Gas Chemical Complex in Far East Russia had risen to 15. The facility, a joint venture between Sibur and Sinopec, lost 14 foreign workers and one Russian national, with a further 39 people remaining in hospital.
In North America, legal proceedings over past industrial accidents have also concluded. A poultry plant in Brampton, Ontario, was fined $500,000 over an incident in 2024 in which a worker was critically injured by a carbon dioxide release. Investigators found the facility lacked proper sensors and alarms at the time; the company has since installed new monitoring systems.
