The Labor Department is planning to impose sanctions to the owners of a Navotas ice plant for its failure to report the death of two employees due to ammonia leak last week.

DOLE Secretary Silvestre Bello III said on Sunday that he ordered the TP Marcelo Ice Plant and Cold Storage in Barangay North Bay Boulevard South Proper to submit an incident report to the labor department.

“We notified the owners of the ice plant na meron silang legal obligation to immediately report the incident to the DOLE. We are waiting for their compliance otherwise, we will impose administrative penalties,” Bello said in a report on Philstar.com.

“They have yet to submit a report na may namatay at mga nasugatan. That should be done within 24 hours after the incident,” he added.

The labor chief added that the report should’ve been reported, even if DOLE has yet to inspect the work site.

“It’s not necessarily fines that we will impose, but administrative sanctions,” Bello said.

Labor inspectors went to Navotas recently but were not allowed to enter the area due to high toxicity level.

Liquid ammonia is used as a refrigerant or coolant for manufacturing purified tube ice.

Ammonia is also used as a refrigerant gas to purify water supplies, and in the manufacture of plastics, explosives, fabrics, pesticides, dyes and other chemicals. It is found in many household and industrial-strength cleaning solutions.

Cleaning solutions for industrial use contain higher concentrations of ammonia and can quickly cause irritation and burns.

When ammonia enters the body as a result of breathing, swallowing or skin contact, it reacts with water to produce ammonium hydroxide. This chemical is very corrosive and damages cells in the body on contact. (TDT)