The fire
department has given the all clear to Southern California Edison’s
(SCE) Long Beach Call Center, but SCE continues to look into the cause
of a strong odor that led to the evacuation of about 300 employees
Monday.
Seven employees were taken to area hospitals and 23 others were treated
on scene for symptoms, including nausea and headaches. All seven have
been released from the hospitals.
The fire department made its decision after sending a hazmat crew into
the building to conduct an air analysis. The odor was detected at 10
a.m., with authorities ordering the evacuation about noon. No other
nearby buildings were affected.
Evacuated employees were later allowed to retrieve their cars and go
home. Some of the call center’s employees will work from another SCE
facility.
Safety
is a top priority for SCE, which will thoroughly investigate the cause
of the odor.
About Southern California Edison
An Edison International (NYSE:EIX) company, Southern California Edison
is one of the nation’s largest electric utilities, serving a population
of nearly 14 million via 4.9 million customer accounts in a
50,000-square-mile service area within Central, Coastal and Southern
California.
Copyright Business Wire 2013