Northvolt after gas leak: Keep working

When high levels of ammonia were measured on the premises, the company sent out an internal Teams message instructing employees to continue working, even though ammonia levels would be much higher than usual.

The gas ammonia is dangerous at high levels, therefore the Swedish Work Environment Agency has set a limit of a maximum of 50 ppm, (parts per million).

Was asked to continue working

In the message to the employees, the company had set its own higher limit values. Now the staff were expected to work at up to 500 ppm before the premises were evacuated.

Northvolt states that they succeeded in reducing the high levels of ammonia in the premises and at the same time the message went out to worried employees to continue working.

Nortvolt: “An assessment”

Emma Nehrenheim, who sits on the management team at the company, tells Ekot that the protective equipment that the staff has, must cope with high levels of ammonia.

– This is, of course, an assessment that our security managers have made. And with hindsight, it can also be concluded that our HSE staff also did not make the assessment that we exposed the employees to risk in this situation, says Emma Nehrenheim.

sv-general-01