A CHEMICAL spill saw work at Highworth-based TS Tech halted and two members of staff taken to hospital on Wednesday morning.

Police, fire and ambulance crews were called to the company’s Blackworth Industrial Estate base, at 10.30am, after around 50 litres of isocyanate was knocked over.

Two men were exposed to the chemical, used in the car manufacturing industry, which can be very irritable if it gets on a person’s skin and lead to severe asthma attacks if the fumes from the liquid are inhaled.

Two men, who work for TS Tech, came into contact with the isocyanate and went through the company’s own decontamination procedure before being taken by ambulance to Gloucester Royal Hospital.

This was as a precaution and it is believed that neither of the men suffered serious injuries.

TS Tech, who supply Honda with car seats in South Marston, acknowledged that an incident happened but refused to comment further on the matter.

It is thought that an internal investigation is taking place to establish how the spill occurred.

Five fire crews, from Swindon, Stratton and Westlea, attended the incident with staff being evacuated from the building. Firefighters, wearing chemical suits, worked with TS Tech staff, who had their own protective clothing, to ensure the chemicals were correctly disposed of.

The incident was dealt with by 1.20pm with staff able to return to the premises. A Wiltshire Police spokesman said that the matter will now be referred to the Health and Safety Executive who will decide whether to investigate the spill.

A HSE spokesperson said: “We do not have full details of the incident at the moment because there is a self-reporting process which companies need to follow. “In this instance, as there wasn’t any serious injuries or fatalities, the company will have 12 days to let us know what has happened then we will make a decision whether to investigate it or not.

“In some instances, it can be a straight forward explanation to find out what happened and in others it is not quite as clear.”