Air quality being monitored after incident at Scotford plant

EDMONTON – Shell Canada is monitoring air quality after a “process upset” at the Shell Scotford Upgrader near Fort Saskatchewan.

The operational failure happened shortly before 4 Monday afternoon in the sulphur recovery complex.

Shell says sulphur dioxide levels are below the ambient air quality guidelines, and the company is actively monitoring air quality in the region to make sure all residents and employees are safe.

Nearby residents may have noticed increased flaring from the plant as the unit was shut down in a controlled manner.

Jeff Mann, with Shell Canada, says that all the equipment worked as designed.

He also said the all-clear was signalled about four hours after the incident and the plant was running as normal.

Shell Canada initially told Global News an employee was found injured during the incident. It have since clarified the hospitalization was due to an unrelated health concern.

Some nearby roads have been blocked off as a precaution.

Scotford is located about 50 kilometres northeast of Edmonton.

With files from The Canadian Press.

NOTE: The article originally stated that a worker was taken to hospital due to the incident. Shell Canada has since clarified that it was due to an unrelated health concern.